


Secrets and Lies

by The_Cackling_Cat



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Death Note (Anime & Manga), Death Parade (Anime), Japanese Mythology, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Mesopotamian Mythology
Genre: Alternate Universe - Light Is Not Kira, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Everything Exists, Family Drama, Humor, Kitsune Yagami Light, Lack of Communication, Light is a Good Brother, Matsuda Sees Dead People, Mental Health Issues, Misora Lives, Occasional swearing, Parallel Universes, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Retrograde Amnesia, Sayu is a good sister, Soichiro is a Weirdness Magnet, Supernatural Elements, Vampire L (Death Note), Witchcraft, sewing skills
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23111899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Cackling_Cat/pseuds/The_Cackling_Cat
Summary: In another world, Light Yagami doesn’t become Kira. But the presence of a death note in the human realm still exists. Meanwhile, Light’s life becomes increasingly difficult as events both horrible and strange keep happening to him. As time goes on discoveries are made, secrets come to light, and lies are stripped away.Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Fandoms or the Mythologies listed, but I do love them. And constructive criticism is more than welcome.
Relationships: Amane Misa/Rem/Mogi Kanzou, Amane Misa/Yagami Light, Amane Misa/Yagami Light/Ryuuga Hideki, L/Yagami Light, Yagami Soichiro/Yagami Sachiko
Comments: 25
Kudos: 137





	1. A Perfect Mess

It was nearing the end of the school and Light Yagami was in his room. The To-Oh exams were fast approaching and he had to study hard if he wanted to achieve a perfect score. He always aspired to make his parents proud and therefore he felt this compulsive need to be perfect.

  
This usually resulted in Light being quite content with his life; his family loved him, he was good at sports, he was intelligent (always been the top of his class), had never been bullied, and was very charismatic and popular with most people. Then there were times when he just felt very tired and could no longer see any worth within himself or his actions. Like right now, he couldn't seem to concentrate for the life of him; his thoughts kept drifting back to his sham of a relationship with Misa Amane and how it wasn’t really fair to either her or him. But it would be just as unfair to his family if they were to discover that his actual sexual preferences.

  
“Big brother! Its dinner time,” shouted Light's little sister, Sayu, breaking him out of his troubled thoughts.

  
Light left his bedroom and headed for the kitchen. Sayu was just about to set the table and Light decided to help her as he quickly grew fearful of her precarious balancing act with the dishes on-top of the utensils on-top of the drinking glasses on-top of a bowl of salad. 

  
When they were done their father, Soichiro, had just come back from work. Light was honestly glad to see him home tonight, though he may not have shown as much enthusiasm as Sayu. Soichiro was the chief of the NPA (National Police Agency), and would often times work very late hours. From what Light could glean from his parents’ conversations and news reports, his father was working on a very difficult case; the Kira case. Light found it all rather strange with the police force having to protect these criminals from a vigilante that was somehow causing them to die of heart attacks.

  
“Dinner smells great,” said Soichiro, smiling as he entered the kitchen.

  
“Thanks, Mom and I worked really hard," said Sayu, grinning proudly as Sachiko, Light and Sayu’s mother, served up the plates of food.

  
“For a while there I thought you’d be working another all nighter… again,” said Sachiko, in a passive-aggressive manner. She hated it when her husband left his family for so long, not seeing them for weeks on end and not calling to let them know he was okay.

  
Light felt something a kin to ice entering his veins; his parents never argued, but would rather say half-hearted comments that were quickly dropped and the leftover anger and bitterness repressed. These little habits left Light feeling mildly ill. Maybe with the exception Sayu, no one in this family was completely in touch with each other or themselves.

  
For several long minutes, dinner passed by in complete and utter silence. Light found himself mostly pushing around food rather than eating it. The silence felt as though it was the one eating away at him.

  
“So Dad, how's the Kira case going?" inquired Light, wanting to break the silence as well as being legitimately curious.

  
“Oh look at that Dad, Light is questioning you about work,” exclaimed Sayu, enthusiastically. She was pushing for her father to spend more time with her brother; Light had just seemed so detached lately. “Don’t you think Light will be a great detective one day? Right, Dad?"

  
“I know he will. And about that…” replied Soichiro, briefly pausing as he wiped his hands and face on a napkin. "Light, son, I know that you are close to entering college, so you are very busy. But my colleagues and I think we could use someone of your intelligence on the Kira case.”

  
“Are you asking me to come and work with you?” asked Light, hopeful as looked into his father’s eyes.

  
“Well, yes,” answered Soichiro, somehow remaining oblivious to his son’s elation.

  
“R- Really?” stuttered Light, feeling overwhelmed. He rarely got attention from his parents in recent years, since he was doing perfectly fine and they just assumed he didn’t need it or want it. It probably didn’t help that he pushed them away too, but he was teenager and honestly, when did it, he thought that they would have fought a little harder; well, he wasn’t going to make that mistake again. “I’d love to assist you. I’m ready whenever you need me?”

  
“It's settled then," replied Soichiro, smiling at his son. “We’ll let you in on the case tomorrow. But I still want you to go to school every day, and to stay on-top of your studies. Do you think you can handle this along with the additional hours down at the station?"

  
“Of course,” answered Light, immediately. He could and would do anything to please his father and solving the Kira case may make him finally be worthy of his father’s praise. “I managed just fine earlier this year. Remember the insurance fraud murder?”

  
“Yes, I do,” answered Soichiro, smiling. “Welcome to the team then.”

  
“Well, then it might be wise if we all head to bed early tonight,” said Sachiko, as she cleared the plates off the table; she gave Light a disapproving look as she gathered up his nearly full plate. “Big day tomorrow.”

  
“I guess you’re right, Mom,” said Light, getting up from the table. “Goodnight.”

  
When Light got back to his empty room all of his previously experienced happiness drained out of him. It’s been like this for several weeks now; holding up the perfect image was more difficult, smiling hurt whether fake or legit, and the idea of dying was looking more and more appealing. He honestly couldn’t understand it; he was genuinely happy only moments ago and now he was sad. 

  
At times like this Light wondered if he might be depressed, but always shrugged it off. His life was too perfect for him to be depressed. Perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect. Besides he was finally going to spend some long-overdue time with his father. He now had a job to do; he had a purpose.


	2. Puzzles & Traps

The next day was a Sunday, so there were no school hours to work around. This allowed Soichiro to take Light with him when he drove into work.

  
“So, son,” said Soichiro, breaking the silence that had filled the car for too long. Sometimes he wished he knew what was preoccupying Light's mind so much; the boy was much too quiet lately, it was really beginning to worry him. “What do you know about the case so far?”

  
“Just that between ten to twenty people are dying each day,” replied Light, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Soichiro had to admit that no matter how attractive his son might be, when he made those expressions he was pretty intimidating; this actually may explain why he had practically no close friends despite being so popular. “And they all had criminal records and they all died from cardiac arrest.”

  
“You gleaned all that from watching the news?” asked Soichiro, impressed. At Light’s hesitant nod, he continued. “Well, we don’t have much more information on the Kira killings besides they’re committed during the afternoon, always after 3:30pm. Kira has also killed some of our officers that spoke out against him.”

  
“Wait, I haven’t heard anything about those murders,” said Light, confused.

  
“Because they were suicides,” stated Soichiro, leaving Light even more confused than before.

  
“Then how do you figure that is Kira’s handy work?” asked Light, his mind trying to process this unusual and confusing puzzle.

  
“L noticed that Kira used several of the victims to send us a message, taunting us,” explained Soichiro, barely managed to suppress a shutter as he recalled the horror he witnessed two days ago. “We watched as one of our own bludgeon herself with a paperweight while writing the first part of the message. We still have no explanation for this occurrence.”

  
“Did you check their system for drugs?” asked Light, already knowing the answer, but wanting to get confirmation anyways. “Particularly ones that could potentially cause cardiac arrest or mental changes?”

  
“Of course, we did,” replied Soichiro, pulling into the station’s parking lot. “The results all came back clean. But there was something else that we noticed that was strange; at the scene of a majority of the murders there were recently eaten apples that were absolutely clear of any DNA traces.”

  
“That is strange,” admitted Light, drawing his brows together in concentration. “So the killer may like apples assuming those are his. He was likely at the scene of the crime then; did you check all the security footage.” 

  
“Yes,” answered Soichiro. “We found nothing.”

  
Well, thought Light, annoyed. It almost sounds as though our culprit is a ghost.

  
“Well, according to the suicides plus the lack of drugs…” began Light, deciding to skip over the apple core theory for now. "This suspect must be extremely charismatic or possess some sort of mind altering ability,” deduced Light, his eyes scrunching close in concentration. “Or he could be influential enough to get his hands on some serious blackmail material,” Light paused briefly, caught up in a heavy train of thought. “Which is strange. Since, due to the hours the killings take place, he sounds like he is a student. Well, either that or an adult that works some very unusual hours.”

  
“That’s interesting. Those ideas sounds very plausible,” replied Soichiro, proudly. “Admittedly that still leaves us with a very vague profile of our suspect.”

  
Still Soichiro had to admit this was a better profile of the killer than they already had; he’d be sure to add Light ideas to it. When he and Light entered the building he noticed that his son had become oddly withdrawn. He hoped Light hadn’t taken his criticisms too harshly especially since they had very little to do with him. He was only being honest in regards to the case; it was difficult and they didn’t have much to go on.

  
As the two walked the main office, they were greeted by some of the police members on Soichiro’s team.

  
"Morning, Chief,” greeted one member, enthusiastically. And very, very loudly. “Is this your son, Light?”

  
“Yes, he is,” stated Soichiro, before rolling his eyes as Touta Matsuda hopped over his desk to greet them.

  
“So you’re Light Yagami. It’s good to finally meet you,” exclaimed Matsuda, shaking Light’s hand energetically. “I hear that you and Misa Amane are very close.”

  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Touta Matsuda,” said Light, reading the man’s name tag as he returned pleasantries with false cheer. “And yes, Misa and I are… close.”

  
Light didn’t mean to hesitate, but his relationship with Misa was difficult to say the least. He knew she was beautiful, but try as he might he just didn’t find her attractive. He often worried about when she may start requesting their relationship to become more… intimate; the complications that would arise if a certain piece of anatomy didn’t rise to the occasion.

  
“Do you think you could perhaps introduce me to her?” asked Matsuda, entering fan-boy mode.

  
“I’ll ask her about it,” agreed Light with a smile that was feeling more forced by the second. How on earth was Matsuda so up-beat? Light was almost jealous.

  
Soichiro had begun to wander off towards his office during this exchange. Light hurriedly followed.

  
“So, Dad, what are the tasks for today?” Light asked, entering his father’s office before shrugging off his coat.

  
“Well, mostly, all we can do is try to trace the Kira killings and-”

  
Soichiro’s laptop began making noise, a notification that someone was trying to reach him.

  
“It’s a video transmission from L,” muttered Soichiro, realizing his bad timing. “Light, this is very important and top secret. I need you go away for now, I'll text you on your cellphone when to come back."

  
Feeling disappointed Light sighed, but still obliged, grabbing his coat and swiftly leaving. He had then spent the entire morning walking around the city aimlessly, waiting for his father to contact him. By the time noon hit, Light’s stomach reminded him of how he had skipped both dinner and breakfast respectively and decide to go find a place to get lunch. Finding a nice little café, he ordered a sandwich and sat down to eat.

  
About half-way through his meal, the television screen caught his attention. It was an emergency broadcast; did it have to do with the Kira murder, wondered Light.

  
“Good evening," announced the man occupying the screen. “Or perhaps it is ‘Good morning’ to you. As this is a worldwide broadcast from Interpol, I believe that it would vary as to where you may be watching from.”

  
“I am Lind L. Tailor,” continued the man as his name flashed on the screen. “L might be easier for you.”

  
Wait, was this the same L that had contacted his father earlier today? Light wondered, his interest pique and the rest of his sandwich now forgotten.

  
“I believe everyone is aware of this, but a case had erupted in which criminals have become the target of a serial killer,” explained Tailor. “This is leading to mass murder on a scale never before seen throughout history.”

  
“No matter what means that he is using, we must take measures against this terrible, monstrous crime!” continued Tailor, ranting aggressively almost. Light was beginning to grow suspicious of this man; something seemed off. The man appeared to be more scared than determined. “To perpetrator of this crime, known under the alias of Kira: I will arrest you! This I do so formally declare! Kira! As for your motive in all of this, I can easily see through it. But what you are doing is evil.” 

  
“Be sure of this: I will send you to your execution,” Tailor continued to rant. Light was beginning to question this man’s sanity; was he trying goad Kira into attacking him, hadn’t read the case files. Pulling a stunt like this was suicide, literally. “All of the world’s police forces are coming together for this investigation! The whole world is coming together, and we are certain to find you! We will see an end to your genocidal spree! We will restore society to…”

  
Suddenly, Lind L. Tailor’s rant ceased as he began gasping in pain. It appeared as though he might be experiencing cardiac arrest. It seemed as though Kira had gone for his more typical form of attack. Watching this happen on the screen, Light felt horrified, but not surprised.

  
Just then, the screen went black and a white, calligraphy style ‘L’ appeared. ‘What the hell?’ mouthed Light, watching the screen even more intensely than before.

  
“Splendid, Kira,” mockingly congratulated a disembodied voice. “Without laying a hand on someone directly, you’re still able to kill them. But the man you have just killed, Lind L. Tailor, was in fact a criminal scheduled for execution. This man’s arrest and his verdict were withheld from the media. Even someone like Kira could not have known of him, in other words.”

  
So this was the real L and the other was a decoy. This was getting interesting, thought Light. This L fellow is trying to determine Kira means of attack. Though given the evidence so far it appeared to involve something in the realms of the supernatural. Admittedly, Light wasn’t normally someone who readily believed in myths, but when there weren’t any other viable solutions you picked the most likely and test it out.

  
“Now show us. Try and kill me if you can,” taunted L. “Why do you hesitate? Come. Don’t be shy. Kill me. I know you’re there. You can’t do it, can you? Kira. In other words, there are those who Kira cannot kill. This is quite the valuable clue.”

  
During the last few sentences, L seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else. It was unnerving in a way.

  
“I’ll tell you this in thanks for the clue,” continued L, and even though Light couldn’t see his face he could swear he was grinning triumphantly. “The broadcast just now was said to be worldwide, but actually, it was only broadcast in the Kanto Region of Japan.”

  
Light’s eyes widened. He was now officially impressed by L’s little trick. The clever bastard had narrowed down Kira’s location by broadcasting something apparently ‘worldwide’ with probably a time delay to be shown in different areas at different times and then waiting to see when Kira would react.

  
Light then noticed that his sandwich had disappeared. He had been so engrossed by the news that hadn’t noticed a tiny, black cat stealing his food. Looking under the table, Light spotted the little guy, or girl, working their way through the last quarter. The cat had a bandage on her right paw, so it probably had an owner or something.

  
“You’re a hungry little fella,” said Light, smiling at the cute little creature. When the cat noticed Light, the creature looked as though he was ready to bolt. 

  
“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m not mad,” continued Light calmly reaching down to rub the cat’s ears. “Go ahead. Eat my lunch, little thief. You’ll probably enjoy it more than I would have anyway.”

  
Hearing his phone ding, Light emerged out from under the table, giggling a little. Checking his cell-phone he saw the message was from his father; he wanted him to head back home, he was no longer needed on the case. 

  
Light could feel tears welling behind his eyes threatening to fall. Wiping at his face, Light walked back home with the feeling of shame and worthlessness weighing on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is wondering, Lind L. Tailor's dialogue is directly taken from 'Death Note; The Musical'.


	3. Why Are There Apple Cores In My Bed?

“L, why did you do that?” yelled Soichiro Yagami at the laptop; he was angry. He wished L was in the same room as him so that he could shake some sense into the bastard. “You goaded Kira into killing a man he thought was you! You are crossing some very dangerous lines!”

  
“You act as though the world is black and white, Yagami-san,” replied L, calmly; though it was hard to tell due to the voice filter. “You refuse to acknowledge the shades of grey that humans simply are.”

  
“What did your gambit accomplish?” asked Soichiro, trying to cool down and think rationally.

  
“I determined that he was unable to kill me due to not knowing my name and/or face,” stated L, while Soichiro and the rest of his team looked at each other, perplexed. “Actually, I am almost positive that Kira needs at least a name to kill. And he doesn't know my real name.”

  
“Was getting that clue worth being responsible for a man’s murder?” asked Soichiro, finding L's means of investigation to be overly calloused; he was sure that he had to call him out on this behavior before it went too far.

  
“That man was going to be executed by the state. He was living on borrowed time,” argued L. “Therefore I am not responsible for taking a life, I only allowed his death to serve a purpose.”

  
“Well, then,” began Soichiro as he straightened his shoulders. “Couldn’t Kira make the same argument for himself. He murders criminals that he deems deserving and frightens off any potential criminals by putting the fear of death in them.”

  
“Well, for starters Tailor had his trial and was sentenced accordingly. Then there are the criminals that Kira kills. They range anywhere from murderers to petty thieves. His perspective is almost draconian in nature; that all crimes are equal and deserving of death,” explained L. “He also kills those that are undeserving of death by his own standards; the missing chunk of your police force can attest to that. He then goes so far as to taunt the NPA about it; Kira thinks he’s God and that he doesn’t have to face the consequences of his actions.”

  
“L, I am not saying that you are wrong for wanting to catch Kira as swiftly as possible,” conceded Soichiro, pinching the bridge of his nose; he could feel a headache was fast approaching. “I am just asking you not to blur the lines between good and evil more than necessary.”

  
“I won’t go further than necessary,” agreed L, placating the police chief before changing the subject. “The NPA Headquarters is too well-known and distinctive for our more clandestine operations.”

  
“What do you want us to do about that then?” asked Soichiro, crossing his arms as he grew more irritated by the new guy’s antics.

  
“I've already taken this into consideration, and have established a place for us to meet,” explain L. “I am sending you directions via e-mail. We’ll see each other there at 5am tomorrow.”

  
“We’ll see you then,” agreed Soichiro as he turned off the video transmission and opened his e-mail.

\---------

  
At 5am the following day, Soichiro and his team stood outside what appeared to be some average studio apartment building in an urban neighborhood. Buzzing to be let in they immediately headed to unit four as detailed in the e-mail and confirmed at the door.

  
They were greeted by an elderly man, who introduced himself as Watari. He politely escorted into them to the main room of the apartment where an abundance of technical equipment had been set-up. And sitting amongst it all was a man they could only assume was L.

  
L wasn’t at all what they’d expected. He was a young man, of about twenty-five; he had pale skin, messy black hair and dark shadows under his even darker coloured eyes. He vaguely resembled a creature from a horror flick; beautiful, but undeniably eerie. 

  
He was also barefoot, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, with faded blue jeans. Soichiro tilted his head as he observed L’s peculiar sitting position; he was almost in a crouching position with his feet on the seat and his knees almost level with his chest.

  
“I am L,” said the young man, introducing himself.

  
“This L guy is quite... different than I imagined,” said Matsuda, rudely voicing everyone’s thoughts. Still Ide fought the urge to slap him upside the head.

  
Soichiro decided he better get on with the introduction so that they could start working on finally solving this case. He pulled out his ID. 

  
“Yagami, chief of the NPA," greeted Soichiro as the others all displaced their IDs as well. 

  
“Touta Matsuda,” said Matsuda, following the Chief’s lead. The rest of task force followed suit as well.

  
“Shuichi Aizawa.” 

  
“Kanzo Mogi.”

  
“Hirokazu Ukita.” 

  
“Hideki Ide.”

  
“You know if I was Kira, you'd all be dead now,” said L, positioning his hand into the shape of a gun and pretended to shoot them with a repeated ‘bang’. “All thanks to Yagami there. If I were you, I wouldn’t be so incline to disclose my identity in future.”

  
“Oh,” muttered Soichiro, awkwardly putting his ID away; the other officers had done the same. “So, L, wha-”

  
“While you’re here, working with me you may call me Ryuzaki," interrupted L, as he poured himself some tea.

  
“Alright, Ryuzaki,” agreed Soichiro, before getting back to his previously interrupted questions. “What do you plan for us to do to avoid being Kira’s next victims? And why do you think Kira needs a name and perhaps a face to kill?” 

  
“Because when Lind L. Tailor was on TV, his full name was on-screen, and Kira killed him,” answered L, pausing briefly to sip his tea. “But when I challenged him to kill me, he didn’t. I believe he couldn’t due to not knowing my name or face like he did Tailor’s.”

  
“I think you’re jumping to some pretty far-fetched conclusions,” snorted Aizawa in disbelief. 

  
“I actually think it’s the only thing that could make sense,” commented Matsuda, in complete contrast to Aizawa’s thoughts. “The only criminals that are dying had both their name and face disclosed to the public. News programs where the criminal was not yet identified or only had their names disclosed to the public have not been killed.” 

  
“Regardless, we’re taking precautions based off of my theory until it is either proven to be false or no longer necessary,” explained L, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the two officers that were now arguing. He then turned his attentions back to Soichiro. “As to your first question, we will all be using fake IDs and aliases.” 

  
Watari had then entered the room with a briefcase under one arm. Opening it he had then proceeded to hand the IDs out. Soichiro looked at his; the name on it was Yonjuro Asahi. He then took a glimpse at the other task force members’ badges; Matsuda’s was Matsui, Aizawa’s was Aihara, Mogi’s was Moji, Ukita’s was Okita, and Ide’s was Ode. It seemed as though a majority of these names were phonetically similar to their actual names; Soichiro guessed it made it easier to remember.

  
“Fake IDs?” asked Matsuda, surprised. “But isn’t that illegal?”

  
“I’m aware of that, but we do not have much of a choice,” replied L, placing his thumb on his lips. “Kira most likely kills using a person’s name and face. So our options are limited; it’s your decision to either follow my recommendations, or die.”

  
“Alright,” agreed Soichiro. “We’ll do as you ask.”

  
“Well, now that we’re all in agreement,” said L, as quickly finished his cup of tea. “Shall we get to work?”

  
\---------

  
Light did not see his father when he got home from school. It had only been a day, but as time passed Light began to grow worried. He now knew that Kira had a strange and deadly power that allowed him to strike a person dead if he wills it so. Light had determined that the killer only needed the victim’s name and face.

  
In the late afternoon, as Light helped Sayu with her homework, he hoped that their father would allow him back on the case. The constant worrying about Soichiro's safety was weighing on everyone in the family. And not being able to do anything about it was driving Light insane.

  
Actually, insanity may be a legit concern. Since the Lind L. Tailor broadcast he had gotten this strange feeling that someone was following him, watching him. It was a feeling that filled him with dread and foreboding. Then there were the apple cores that would appear discarded all throughout his room. It was beginning to make him question his own actions; he couldn’t remember any eating apples. Hell, he didn’t even like apples all that much.

  
Still he just decided to shrug it before heading for bed. As he cleaned up the mess, a monstrous-looking creature continued to observe him with bright red and yellow eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, I decided it would be better to have the temporary Task Force Headquarters in a single location, since I don't know the names of the hotels they move to and from. Nor do I have an explanation for how they manage to move their equipment discreetly (L has a lot of tech). Actually, I don't even know how Aizawa managed to lead Light away blindfolded and handcuffed with drawing attention (episode 16). 
> 
> Also, in episode 2 of the anime, Ryuk is seen lounging on Light's bed munching on an apple. And I doubt his manners would improve much over a 5 year period.


	4. Five Percent Is Enough

“Light,” called Sachiko, as Light finished cleaning the dishes. The Yagami family had recently eaten dinner with the exception of Soichiro, who had pulled another all-nighter; he had been thoroughly dedicated to the Kira case for the last two weeks now. “Can you come here? We need to talk.”

  
“Yes, Mom,” replied Light, drying his hands before heading towards his parents’ room. 

  
I hope she isn’t going to ask me about the Space-Land bus-jacking, thought Light. It was a few days ago and he was alright for the most part, but that wouldn’t stop his mom from being worried about him.

  
_Flashback; Six Days Ago_

  
_Light had met Yuri at the bus station. He had gotten there a few minutes late so there wasn’t a long wait for the bus to arrive. Only three people had boarded at this stop including Light and his ‘date’. The bus only had nine passengers. Yuri headed to a set of seats near the back and Light followed. The man that had boarded with them sat one seat behind and across the aisle from them._

  
_“I don’t understand you, Light,” said Yuri, tilting her head. “You said that you weren’t dating ‘til after exams. Also, you’re going steady with Misa-Misa. So why are you with me?”_

_  
“Well, you’re a very beautiful and intelligent woman,” said Light, pausing as he thought of Misa and her most recent request; he really hated lying, but that rarely ever stopped him. “And I just couldn’t avoid the temptation.”_

  
_“You’re such a flirt,” giggled Yuri, swatting his arm playfully._

  
_“Plus I don't really have anything to worry about when it comes to exams,” continued Light, now bragging. “_ _I got a perfect score on the practice tests.”_

  
_“And a nerd,” continued Yuri, teasing._

  
_Light had laughed in response to her teasing, but truthfully he felt uncomfortable about the whole situation; there were so many things wrong about it. Firstly, his girlfriend, Misa, had asked him to help her friend, Yuri, get over a recent break-up; by going on a date with her. He knew Yuri from school and she never mentioned knowing Misa-Misa personally. And secondly, Yuri thought that he was having an affair with her behind Misa’s back and was totally alright with that._

  
_Light knew he had a reputation for this sort of thing, but he didn’t think it was that bad. Well, whatever, there wasn’t much he could do about it now. Plus it was currently working in his favour._

  
_The bus was now approaching the third stop before Space-Land. A dirty looking man had gotten on the bus; his hands were buried in his jacket pockets. Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the driver._

  
_“Stay in your seat unless you want to die,” threatened the man; Light had then recognized him as Kiichiro Osoreda, he was responsible for killing three people while robbing a bank. “Everybody shut-up. If anybody moves I’m putting a bullet in their head,” Osoreda then focused his attention on the driver. “Alright, driver, you listen to me. I know you have the number for Space-Land’s office on you. Call them.”_

  
_“Okay,” agreed the bus-driver, making the phone call. “This is Sasaki calling from bus 174. My bus had been high-jacked. And he’s holding a gun to my head.”_

  
_“Give me that,” demanded Osoreda, roughly snatching the phone from the driver’s hand. “You heard what he said, so you listen up. Have a female staff member bring all of Space-Land’s cash from yesterday; I know it’s there. Have her meet us two bus-stops from the park. And don’t make me wait. If you mess with me or get the police involved I swear I will kill every single one of these passengers.”_

  
_Kiichiro had then smashed the phone. Yuri was trembling with fear; Light was scared too. The couple across the aisle from them was having hushed conversation. Light hoped that Osoreda wouldn’t hear them over the sounds of engine._

  
_“Kiyomi don’t be frightened,” said a man that was well-dressed and possessed a set of red eyes; Light was guessing it was contact lens. He was talking to the beautiful, short-haired woman sitting next to him; it took him a few moments to recognize her, Kiyomi Takada. He had dated her several months ago._

  
_The red-red-eyed man had then passed her a note. Light was having difficulty reading it at this distance; he believes it said about attempting to grab the gun out of the high-jacker’s hand._

  
_“Don’t be stupid, that’s risky,” interrupted the man seated behind them. “If it comes to that I’ll take care of it.”_

  
_“Can you prove you’re not his accomplice?” asked the red eyed man._

  
_“Yeah, I have read about this before,” said Takada, thoughtful. “The first high-jacker comes in like he is working alone, meanwhile a second one pretends to be a hostage and stays in the very back just in case anything goes wrong.”_

_“Here’s my proof,” said the man sitting behind the couple. He handed them an FBI badge that stated his name was Raye Penber. “I am not that man’s accomplice.”_

  
_“Alright, I’ll trust you. And I guess for the time being I won’t ask what an FBI agent is doing on the bus,” said the red-eyed man, before asking. “Do you have a gun?”_

  
_“Yeah,” confirmed Penber. “I’ve got one.”_

  
_“So if it comes down to it I can rely on you?” asked the red-eyed man._

  
_“Yes,” answered Penber._

  
_Osoreda was currently threatening the old couple a few rows up when the red-eyed man dropped a slip of paper in the aisle. Light realized it was likely the note about wrestling for the high-jacker’s gun. It had landed closer to Light so he had tried to discretely slide the crumpled piece of paper under his seat using his foot. Unfortunately, before he could even touch it Osoreda had noticed his movements._

  
_“Don’t move you little punk,” yelled Osoreda, before roughly kicking Light’s leg out of the way. Picking the piece of paper up, he glanced at it before scoffing. “What is this? Plans for a date?”_

  
_Osoreda then dropped the piece of paper before storming to the front of bus. Light glared at the red-eyed man for causing him to unnecessarily panic, even though he was relieved the note wasn’t what he thought it was. Light really didn’t want to be in the middle of a shoot-out between a criminal and an FBI agent; then again who would? Well, maybe adrenaline junkies._

  
_Suddenly, Osoreda turned around and started freaking out. He had his gun aimed towards the back down the middle of the aisle. Light couldn’t understand what he was doing._

  
_“Who the hell are you?” asked Osoreda, directing his question to an unoccupied area of space on the bus; Light guessed that the man was hallucinating, he was a known drug addict after-all. “You in the very back. What do you think you’re doing?”_

_Light was feeling even more frightened than before; if Osoreda was hallucinating, whether it be from drugs or a medical condition, he could end up hurting people without meaning to. Insane people are not easy to predict. Light wondered if the FBI agent was planning on doing something, because he might want to before this gets out of control more so than it already is._

  
_“D-d-d-don’t mess with me,” stuttered Osoreda, he sounded very terrified by whatever he was seeing. “How long have you been hiding back there?”_

  
_“Stay there you,” yelled Osoreda, appearing to become more unhinged by the second. “You keep away from me, you freak.”_

  
_“Everyone get down,” shouted Penber. Light immediately complied with that order along with everyone else._

  
_“Get away,” screamed Osoreda, shooting several bullets into the back window. He kept shooting until the gun was empty._

  
_With the gun now unloaded Penber had decided to charge at the high-jacker. Before he could reach him, Osoreda had demanded that the driver stop the bus. Light had watched through the window as Osoreda jumped out the bus doors only to get hit by a car._

  
_End Flashback_

  
Everything about that day was so incredibly odd in such an infinite number of ways. Firstly, there was an FBI agent on board; Light couldn’t help but wonder why he was there. Secondly, there was the red-eyed man. Light had looked him up; his name was Teru Mikam, a well-known prosecutor. What was he doing there? Mikami was known to be very predictable as well as anti-social; so why would he take a trip to a theme park? Well, then again, there was that beautiful woman, Kiyomi Takada. Thirdly, the man that had them hostage was a murderer that immediately died after leaving the bus. Fourthly, there had been the deaths of fifteen FBI agents following this occurrence. And fifthly, the agent that was on that bus died moments before they did. 

  
Was this the work of Kira? thought Light. Was he on that bus? But if he was that doesn’t help. There were only a few people on that bus that could have seen Raye Penber’s name, but could the police really track down those suspects after all this time. If so, L would’ve already thought of doing that.

  
Standing in the doorway, Light came out of his thoughts about last week and saw that Sachiko had been crying. She also had a suitcase packed.

  
“What’s the matter, Mom?” asked Light, concerned.

  
“My mother contacted me,” answered Sachiko, wiping away the moisture from around her eyes.

Light hated seeing her like this, but he had no idea how to help. He had never even met his maternal grandmother, but considering Sachiko reactions she sounded like she may be worse than his paternal grandmother; which was no easy feat, but that could just be because she hated him. 

  
“And what happened?” asked Light, prompting her to continue.

  
“There’s been an issue with my family, so I am going to have to leave for a little awhile,” explained Sachiko, as beckoned for Light to come closer; she then pulled him so that he was sitting next to her on the bed. “I need you to take care of your sister and father as well as the house in my absence. Can you do that for me?”

  
“No problem, Mom,” replied Light, forcing a smile. Taking care of Sayu and the house-hold would be easy; cleaning, cooking, helping with homework, etc. he could do. Taking care of his father would be a different story; the man was hardly ever home now and when he was he was always as stoic as ever. 

  
“My sister is coming to pick me up in about two more minutes,” said Sachiko, breaking the melancholy silence moments before a horn started honking from outside. “And she is always early and never patient.”

  
“Let help with your suitcase,” offered Light, picking said item off the floor. 

  
Walking out the door, Light was actually kind of excited; he’d finally see someone from his mother’s side of the family. Hopefully they’d like him. No one outside his immediate family truly liked him; for example, his paternal uncle tried to drown him when he was four and his grandmother had encouraged it. Even outside of his family, people only liked him when he was assisting them with something like homework; or they were gushing over his good looks. 

  
Truthfully, he felt empty; pretending to be perfect on the outside to earn his family’s love and other people’s approval had hollowed him out. He didn’t even know what he wanted in life anymore. Academically, he wanted to thrive, but he had never been sure of what he wanted past that. He only really decided to go into police work, because that's what his father did. Light had always liked working on some of cases the NPA allowed him on; the only problem was just that he had never really taken the time to consider whether this was something that he wanted.

Light wasn't scared of flunking out of university. He only wanted options or rather the illusion of options. So on top of his courses in criminology and forensics, he was also taking engineering and psychology. The academic and athletic scholarships along with the pay from his part-time jobs should cover the fees, so going into debt wasn't something he was worried about at least. 

  
Reaching the end of the driveway, Light saw a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties with reddish brown hair and a slender, but fit physique. She was standing outside her car and at Light’s approach she had turned her head to look at him. Making eye-contact he couldn’t help, but sense that there was something familiar about her. Before Light could observe the stranger more closely, his mother had urged him to head back inside as she took her suitcase from him.

  
“Oh, and Light, remember to bring your father a change of clothes tomorrow,” said Sachiko, giving him one last fair-well hug at the doorway. “He hasn’t been home in so long.”

  
“No problem, mom,” replied Light, returning the embrace. “Get back home soon, though. Okay?”

  
Sachiko didn’t reply as she tightened her hold on her son while silent tears slipped down her cheeks.

  
\---------

  
“Considering the nature of the more recent Kira killings,” explained L, referring to the now dead FBI agents that he had hired to investigate the NPA officers and their families. “We now know that Kira is likely getting information from one of the members of the NPA.”

  
Everyone was shocked to hear this evaluation, but it made it an awful lot of sense. Soichiro was beginning to grow more fearful the more the pieces of the puzzle fit into place. Even Light’s own profiling of Kira fit too well into place; was his son trying to tell him something, that perhaps this was all a cry for help. 

  
Soichiro sighed, unwilling to believe his own flesh and blood to be a monster. He looked over at L and decided an important conversation was in order.

  
“Ryuzaki, a private word, please,” requested Soichiro, leaving the room before L could answer to the contrary.

  
“What appears to the matter, Chief?” asked L, having followed Soichiro out into the hall, and somehow grabbing a plate of strawberry shortcake along the way. Soichiro didn’t remember there being cake. Regardless, he had more important things to worry about now.

  
“Do you consider my son a suspect?” asked Soichiro, taking a deep breath to steady himself so that the sad and pain he felt wouldn’t show up upon his face.

  
“Truthfully, he’s my number one suspect so far,” answered L, bluntly. World’s greatest detective or not, Soichiro was really beginning to hate this man.

  
“My son isn't Kira,” defended Soichiro almost immediately in disregards to his own reservations earlier. “Light’s done nothing, but helped; he even assisted on the profiling of Kira. You should know that I had promised my son that I'd let him in on the case. He wants Kira locked away as much as I do.”

  
“What you just said there is suspicious in and of itself; an outsider wanting to infiltrate our inner circle,” explained L, shoving his hands in his jeans’ pockets; wait, where did the cake go… or even the plate, wondered Soichiro briefly. "From what we know of Kira he is obtaining info from the NPA, he’s a student in the Kanto region, and is likely to be highly intelligent and charismatic. And I'm sorry, Yagami-san, but I'm afraid your son is the only one to fit that description perfectly. We’ll need to investigate him.”

  
“But you don’t know Light as I do,” sighed Soichiro, beginning to look worn down and tired. “I can't see him as being this inhuman monster that Kira is.” 

  
“I know you can't, Yagami-san. No good father could,” replied L, trying to make eye-contact with the Chief even as the man continually tried to avoid it. “I’ll need to investigate him further, hopefully without him realizing it. I have already looked into him a bit, and he just seems… perfect… abnormally so.”

  
“He’s a good lad,” muttered Soichiro, willing himself to continue believing it. “He spends most of his time studying; he just graduated at the top of his class and his entrance exam is in a few days.”

  
“Were you there for your son’s graduation, Yagami-san?” asked L, moving into Soichiro’s personal space.

  
“No, I was here working on the Kira case,” admitted Soichiro, feeling a momentary bit of shame. “But I sent him a nice watch.”

  
L was tempted to say particularly scathing remark, but decided to refrain from doing so. He had more important matters to address with Light’s father.

  
“What does he do when he’s not at home?” asked L, as hopped onto the nearby table like an overgrown frog.

  
“I believe he’s usually out with his girlfriend, Misa Amane,” replied Soichiro, keeping his eyes on the strange man as he took several steps away from him. 

  
“Do you truly believe Light is innocent, Yagami-san?” asked L, his eyes seeming to burrow themselves into Soichiro’s soul. “Or are you simply hoping he is?”

  
“How much do you suspect my son of being Kira?” asked Soichiro, deflecting L’s own questions. Soichiro took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a serious tension headache forming.

  
“About five percent,” said L, lying. In reality, his suspicion on Light’s guilt was about forty percent and rising.

  
“Five percent,” repeated Soichiro, a hint of relief was detectable in his tone of voice. Five percent was still a high number when you factor in the Kanto region’s population, but Soichiro was choosing to assume it simply had to do with Light’s association with him.

  
“It’s enough,” said L, heading back to the main room; effectively ending their discussion.

  
\---------

  
When Light reached the police station the next morning the receptionists refused to let him in. Apparently, the investigation team was away and they couldn’t disclose any information about their location. The receptionists allowed Light to sign in so that he could drop off his father’s change of clothes at the station.

While chatting with the receptionist, he had quickly learned that many people were too afraid to continue with the Kira investigation. Therefore the team was only made up of something like five or six members of the NPA; Light knew his father had to be on that team. 

  
After signing in Light concluded that he wasn’t going to get a hold of Soichiro anytime soon. As he was leaving the station he overheard something interesting in a conversation between the other receptionist and a pretty, grey-eyed woman dressed all in black. 

  
“I have important information pertaining to the Kira investigation,” said the grey-eyed woman. “I need you to contact someone from the task force. It’s urgent.”

  
“Look, I’ll call headquarters one last time for you,” replied the receptionist, picking up the phone and dialing headquarters. “Just give me a moment, please.”

  
Light had already been through this five minutes earlier; she wasn’t going to get anywhere.

  
“Just as I thought, there is no one at headquarters,” said the receptionist, after several minutes. “You’re going to have to trust me on this, ma’am. I’ll be sure to give them your message as soon as I see them. I promise.”

  
“That’s not good enough,” argued the grey-eyed woman. “I have to tell them in-person.”

  
“Um, excuse me, ma’am,” said Light, moving closer to the woman. “I know someone who is involved in the investigation. If you want to wait I’m sure that as soon as he checks his phone he’ll call me back.”

  
Well, Light hoped his father would anyway. So far, Light had been trying to contact him for the last two weeks; there was a grand total of sixty-one missed calls and twenty unread messages. As for his vagueness when referring to his father, Light didn’t want to endanger him by exposing his identity. If anyone knew Light Yagami’s father was on the Kira case, then Kira may track down Soichiro’s name and use him like he may have used Raye Penber.

  
“Can you maybe give me his phone number, instead?” asked the grey-eyed woman.

  
“You could use it to search for his name,” explained Light, letting his sense of caution show. While he was talking he was changing the name of his father’s contact on his phone from DAD to DD. This was just incase she was Kira, since Maki had watched him sign-in so it wouldn't be hard for her to look-up his father's identity if she wanted to eliminate those who are on the Kira case. “I’m willing to let you use my phone.”

  
“Alright,” replied the grey-eyed woman, grateful. “Thank you so much.”

  
The woman had then begun walking out of the building.

  
“You don’t mind if we stretch our legs for a bit?” asked the woman, as Light jogged to catch up to her. “It’s better than waiting here.”

  
“Yeah, sure. It’s not like it’s cold outside or anything,” replied Light, sarcastically as he felt a biting cold breeze hit as they exited the station. “So, why are you risking your life like this? What information do you have that’s so important?”

  
“Well, it’s already been figured that Kira can kill any number ways and control the victim’s actions prior to death,” stated the grey-eyed woman, Light nodded his head in confirmation before she continued. “Well, I think the bus-jacking that occurred several days ago was a staged attack; used for information gathering. I believe Kira planned to learn my fiancé’s name. He then somehow made him betray his fellow FBI agents before dying at Shinjuku Station.”

  
“Wait, you’re Raye Penber’s fiancé,” said Light, to the woman’s shock. “Do you also think that Kira was on that bus?”

  
“Yes,” replied the grey-eyed woman, shocked. “But the driver couldn't remember any of the passengers; I had questioned him earlier today.”

  
“I was on that bus,” explained Light, excitedly; they had reached a real breakthrough on the Kira case. “There were only four people on that bus that could have learned your fiancé’s name; Teru Mikami, Kiyomi Takada, Yuri Kagami, and myself.”

  
“You do understand that this information will be seen as incriminating towards you?” asked the grey-eyed woman, looking deeply into his eyes; Light felt as though those eyes were burrowing into his very soul.

  
“Well, I know that I’m innocent,” said Light, confidently. “And I’m sure that the task force will discover that as a fact, as well,” Light briefly paused as he thought of his father; both of his disappointment and his safety weighing at opposite ends. “Since Kira started killing law enforcers, I’ve wanted him gone.”

  
“You took no issue with him killing criminals?” asked the grey-eyed woman, interested.

  
“I didn’t really care to be honest,” answered Light, truthfully. “They were known murderers and rapists. It was when Kira began targeting lesser criminals, I became more a bit more concern. And with what Kira is doing now…” Light felt his eyes beginning to water; he was really beginning to worry for his father’s safety. “My dad’s a police officer.”

  
“I understand,” said the grey-eyed woman, eyes full of sympathy as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s awful. To fear losing someone you love. And it’s worse when it actually happens.”

  
“I’m sorry for your-” Light was interrupted by his phone ringing; he quickly answered it. “Hi, I’m with… What’s your name again?”

  
“Shōko Maki.”

  
“Shōko Maki, she was Raye Penber’s fiancé,” explained Light, as a sense of dread went through him; as soon as he passed the phone to Shōko, her speculation would incriminate him. “She has some valuable information regarding the Kira investigation.”

  
“Very well, put her on,” said Soichiro, as he went to get L’s attention.

  
L took the cell-phone, and listened to a voice he almost immediately recognized from the L.A. B.B. case; Naomi Misora. She stated a great deal of information that was interesting to L before hanging up. He looked up at the NPA chief as he looked at him with hopeful eyes.

  
“Yagami-san it looks like your son’s chances of being Kira have increased by eleven and a half percent,” stated L, as he gave the chief his phone back. “It looks like I’m going to be meeting Kira face to face very soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kiichiro Osoreda is a character from episode 4 of the anime. A majority of his dialogue is taken from that episode; so is the bus-driver's.
> 
> Naomi Misora is a Death Note character. She appears in Death Note (2006), Another Note, and episodes 5-7 in the anime. Misora's death in the anime was so sad, so here she gets to survive. She is just too badass to have die the way she did.


	5. Arikura-no-Baba

It has been almost a week, since his conversation with Shōko and Light was still out of the loop. Aren’t they going to question him or something? His father had come home five days ago and was more tight-lipped than usual; he had only asked about his mother and Light told him what Sachiko had said. Other than that dinner time was an unbearably silent affair. Light was glad that Sayu was having a sleep-over at a friend’s house; she shouldn’t have to be involved in this silent conflict between father and son.

  
Light knew that Soichiro was angry and he also knew that he was the source of it. Well, who else would he be angry with? thought Light, bitterly. I’m likely a Kira suspect now. My father needed me to be perfect and all I am is a disappointment.

  
Suddenly, Light let out a hiss of pain as he managed to prick himself with a needle. He was so lost in his thought he had momentarily forgotten his surroundings; he was working on sewing a top while attending his sister’s stage rehearsal. 

  
Currently, he was with Sayu in the classroom set aside for Drama Club. A year ago, when his little sister had first join him in high-school she had wanted to participate in an activity they could do together. Still it really wasn’t all that different from previous years, though Light had now joined in a more official capacity; rather than simply being outside help, he was now considered a part of the group.

  
Sayu had always been a fan of the stage and Light had always encouraged it by assisting in the costuming department; Sayu had at least thirty originally designed outfits made by him. Actually, it was through Sayu and drama club that had caused Misa and him to end up together.

  
_Flashback; Two Months Ago_

  
_“Isn’t this great, brother?” yelled Sayu over the noise of the crowd. They had snuck out to the Misa-Misa concert during school hours._

  
_“Yeah,” yelled Light back towards his sister, smiling. “I still can’t believe you managed to convince the principal this was an educational field trip.”_

  
_“What I can I say, I’ve had plenty of time to perfect the sad puppy eyes trick,” teased Sayu. “Especially with you.”_

  
_Light gave her a look of mock mortification; he would normally never be so expressive in public, but for Sayu he’d make an exception._

  
_The Misa Amane concert was going to an end with the song “I’m Ready.” Sayu, Light and the rest of the Drama Club were trying to worm their way through the crowds with hopes of catching Misa’s attention; she was known to occasionally invite a few members from the audience backstage. So the Drama Club had decided to come here as a group dressed in their stage clothes as gimmick to catch Misa-Misa’s eye._

  
_Light didn’t want to inform Sayu that it was unlikely they’d be chosen; there were so many people here, they themselves were a fairly large group to accommodate, and they were still quite far away from the stage. Misa was looking out into the crowd when she locked eyes with Light. Light at first thought he imagined it, but then she had beckoned him and the group he was with to the stage. Some bodyguards came to escort them to her dressing room._

  
_“OMG, can you believe this,” squealed Sayu, in a pitch so high Light could swear his ears were bleeding. “We get to actually see Misa-Misa up close in person.”_

  
_The other members of the club talked amongst themselves in the same manner as Sayu. Then Misa entered the room with an angry look in her eye and she was immediately followed by her manager, Yoshi, and several important people that were involved with the upcoming movie with Hideki Ryuuga. The Drama Club people went silent overwhelmed with excitement. When her eyes landed on the group her anger seemed to pique, and turning to one of the bodyguards she began to throw a mild tantrum._

  
_“I only wanted the brunette boy-toy there,” yelled Misa childishly, alarming everyone in the room with the exception of her manager and the director who was eying the group’s clothing. “Why are all these people here?”_

  
_“This is director, Nishinaka, and his associates; they came to discuss your contact for the film ‘Spring Eighteen’,” explained Yoshi, while simultaneously one of bodyguards said, “Sorry, we misinterpreted your gesture towards pretty-boy as being bring in him plus group.”_

  
_Light was feeling a tad uncomfortable being sexually objectified, but to some degree he was used to it, just not this blatantly. Sayu was the only one in the room still smiling, though it was beginning to look a little forced._

  
_Misa and Yoshi continued to argue while Nishinaka looked like he was sporting a massive headache. The Drama Club mostly went unnoticed, except by one of Nishinaka’s associates, who was still eying them. She walked up to them and it became more obvious she was inspecting their clothes._

  
_“Where’d you get these?” asked the woman, curiously._

  
_“My brother made them,” said Sayu, proudly. “You’re Madam Trevi, world famous designer.”_

  
_“Yes, I am she,” answered Trevi, with a polite smile as she ignored the commotion going on behind her. “You…” Trevi pointed towards Light. “Made these?”_

  
_“Yes ma’am,” confirmed Light._

  
_“What was your inspiration?” asked Trevi, figuring the jacket Light was wearing._

  
_“We’re putting on a musical at our high-school,” answered Sayu, excitedly. “Sweeney Todd set in modern times. Light agreed to design the costumes and play several of the murder victims. I’m Johanna.”_

  
_“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Johanna,” replied Trevi, purposely misunderstanding Sayu before calling the director over. “Nishinaka, what do you think of these outfits? As costuming manager, I believe that they’d work well in this film project.”_

  
_“Some of them need more work,” criticized Nishinaka, eying them from a distance. “Especially, the outfit the bishōnen is wearing. The only ones that are truly ready as is are Johanna’s and the handsome lad’s there.”_

  
_Nishinaka gestured towards Yamamoto, who was playing the role of Benjamin Barker. Yamamoto smirked in Light’s direction; he was likely going to hear jabs at being called bishōnen rather than handsome. Frankly, Light didn’t really care about that as long as he wasn’t called gay. He couldn’t be anything less than perfect; he owed that to his family. He was honour bound to be exactly what his mother and father needed him to be._

  
_“There is no need to be so harsh, Nishinaka,” chided Trevi; if only she could hear Light’s thoughts than she would be chiding him for that very reason. “There’s some polishing needed, but otherwise these designs are pretty good.”_

  
_“I’m not saying wouldn’t be a good asset,” defended Nishinaka. “But you’re the head of the costuming department, so if you want to hire him then hire him; though remember he is your responsibility.”_

  
_Yoshi had then sauntered over with something resembling a smile. Light had to admit that Yoshi was a rather scary woman who always looked to be one bad comment away from gouging your eyes out. So when she was smiling you better pray to God its good news and not a psychotic break._

  
_“We’ve come to agreement, Nishinaka,” said Yoshi, tapping the man on the shoulder. “Misa Amane will be involved in your film project, but there are certain details we’d like to go over with you now. So if you don’t mind…”_

  
_Yoshi had then proceeded to drag Nishinaka back to the other side of the room._

  
_“So, Light, are you interested in working for me?” asked Trevi, smiling sweetly in way that emphasized her prim and grandmotherly appearance. Light was almost sure he was being manipulated as he looked into a set of intelligent, blue eyes; she may be just a fashion designer, but she good one based on her own clothes and her status, and she knew how to run the business angle. “Or are you planning on turning down the opportunity to work alongside Misa-Misa?”_

  
_“OMG! Are you serious?” squealed Sayu, bouncing in her seat, barely containing her excitement. “Of course, he’s in. Right, big brother?”_

  
_“Of course,” replied Light as he looked at Trevi with a knowing look. She had successfully played him by using his sister; at least it wasn’t done too maliciously._

  
_She just smirked in return. Light had to admit he had respect for this manipulative bitch of a woman._

  
_End Flashback_

  
The last two months had Light precariously balancing school and school activities with his part-time job. It was only a week into filming when Misa had asked him out; he had turned her down, but she just refused to acknowledge it. It was only a few days later when he was working on the hem of her skirt that she had broken down crying about how she had no one, since her parents’ murder. She then went on about how she felt safe around him and that he was what she wanted.

  
Light had an overwhelming sense of pity as he listened to her; it was her raw emotion and heavy unappealing sobs that really got to him. Misa’s parents died when she was very young and the trauma left her mentally scarred; this actually might explain her child-like mannerisms.

  
So in the end Light agreed to date Misa under the condition that she’d look into acquiring a good therapist. After entering the relationship Light found that this was also the perfect move for him too; he no longer had to fear bullying when he turned down sexual offers nor would he have to worry about people guessing his sexual orientation and as a bonus Sayu got to spend time with her favourite pop idol. 

  
Suddenly his phone alarm went off breaking his concentration on the modifications he was making to what was going to be Hideki Ryuuga’s outfit in the movie. Unfortunately, Light’s alarm had also broken the concentration of the Drama Club's acting.

  
“Hey, man,” yelled Yamamoto, carelessly gesturing with his straight razor. “I was just about to stab Turpin in the throat.”

  
“What’s happening?” asked Sayu from within an old chest they had acquired for a stage prop. “Can I come out of the box yet?”

  
“I’m leaving,” said Light, as he packed his work into a clothing bag. “I need to drop these by Madam Trevi’s. And Sayu, can you tell Mom that I’ll be out later than usual?”

  
Light had scheduled a date with Misa for tonight. Truthfully, he was a little scared. She said she wanted to try something new.

  
These troubled thoughts and their variations bombarded his mind as he walked to Trevi’s place. She was staying in a small apartment just north of the city. She wasn’t staying permanently; she had told him that she was leaving after filming wrapped up. Honestly, Light thinks he may genuinely miss her. 

  
“Evening, Light,” greeted Trevi, smiling. “Would you like to come in? I was just about to help myself to a spot of tea.”

  
“Thank you, Ms. Trevi,” replied Light, as handed her the clothing bags and entered the brightly lit apartment. 

  
Trevi led him into the kitchen where a kettle was whistling on the stove. The table was covered paper sketches. Light guessed she was struggling like he was on designing outfits for this film that didn’t look ridiculous; director was very opinionated and would often get in the way with his 'suggests'.

Light took the seat that was opposite of the one Trevor was most likely occupying previously.

  
“How do you take your tea?” asked Trevi, as she poured the hot water into two cups. “It’s Oolong.”

  
“No milk, no sugar,” replied Light, as he looked over her written notes. There was something about alternate realities, shinigamis, witches, and kitsunes. “What’s this about? Does this have anything to do with the film?”

  
“In a way, maybe,” answered Trevi, vaguely before changing the subject. “I hear you and Misa are going out tonight.”

  
“Yeah, I’m not sure what Misa’s plans are,” replied Light, fiddling with the string of the tea bag. “I think we’re meeting at a night club or something. She likes partying.”

  
“You don’t seem happy,” observed Trevi, pausing briefly before giving him a bit of advice. “And you won’t be unless you stop lying to others and yourself.”

  
“Why do you think I’m a liar?” asked Light, defensively. 

  
“Because you are,” replied Trevi, calmly. “And I’m not saying that you are doing it to be malicious or self-serving. Actually, quite the contrary; I think you’re lying to protect your loved ones’ feelings.”

  
“Well, how much do you know about me?” asked Light, in challenging sort of voice; truthfully he was feeling worried.

  
“I’m a very perceptive person,” explained Trevi, leaning forwards and cupping Light’s fidgeting hands in her own. “You’re uncertain of what you want to do with your future, you hide your feelings of being overwhelmed and you been lying about your sexual preferences; is that really being fair to anyone?” Trevi paused as she noticed Light’s down-casted eyes that were on the verge of tears; he was feeling ashamed and very, very scared. “Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell anyone. I’m just letting you know that I believe that some horrible events will happen to you and keeping secrets will just complicate the problem.”

  
“Though if I was completely honest than that would complicate things as well,” replied Light, glaring; he really didn’t appreciate Trevi’s unsolicited advice. “And why do you think something bad is going to happen? Are you like Arikura-no-baba or something?”  
  


“A what?” asked Trevi, giggling. 

  
“Arikura-no-baba,” repeated Light, pausing to take a sip of tea before continuing. “It’s an ol-… it’s a woman with magical powers.”

  
“Is that so?” said Trevi, with knowing quirk to her lips; Light knew she had caught his verbal fuck up. “Well, my intuition is usually right, so you may want to heed my advice.”

  
“I’ll take it under consideration,” promised Light, not really meaning it. Looking at the clock, he noticed that he had twenty minutes before he was supposed to meet Misa. “Thank you for the tea, madam. It was a pleasure speaking with you, but I need to go meet Misa soon.”

  
“Wait up. I got something for you,” said Trevi, pushing him back down into his chair.

  
Trevi then left to retrieve something from another room. She came back with a rectangular shaped box, which she set down in his lap. Light looked at Trevi questionably, quirking an eyebrow, before lifting the lid off the box. It contained a rather neat looking outfit that would suit the nightclub’s setting better than what he was currently wearing. 

  
“The clothes are truly beautiful, but I don’t think I can wear them,” admitted Light, feeling like the outfit looked to be pretty edgy. This was the opposite of his usual prim and proper, groomed for success appearance. “There are going be paparazzi following Misa around, sneaking pictures. I don’t want my father seeing me where I’m looking anything less than perfect.”

  
“Honestly, you need to lay-back a little; you’re way too tense for a person your age,” teased Trevi, pulling Light to his feet. “And considering where Misa is taking you tonight this will help you stand out in a good way rather than the awkward way your current get-up will induce. You can change behind here.” 

  
Trevi shoved him behind a dressing screen. Light decided to just go with it; it’s not like it would hurt. Now that he thought of it neither Soichiro nor Sachiko really looked into magazines or social media, so they’d likely never know. And even if they did it wouldn’t indicate anything truly negative; just that he occasionally did the same activities that a majority of other teenagers do. In other words, his parents would only see, at most, a touch of tarnish to his otherwise perfect surface rather than the horrible mess that was inside.

  
It only took a few minutes for Light to change out of his school uniform and into the clothes Trevi provided. He was fastening the metal collar around his neck as he walked out from behind the screen. 

  
“It looks great; I knew it would,” complimented Trevi, mostly towards herself. “If you’re interested have a few other casual clothes you can have. I’d hate to think of you doing this yourself; you may just pick out a cartoon t-shirt. That’s big no-no in fashion.”

  
Light could help the laugh that escaped his lips. She may be a little strange, but being around Trevi was sort of freeing. She wasn’t afraid to call him out on his bullshit, but she wasn’t judgmental about it either. 

  
“Do you want me to help you with your face?” asked Trevi, as she brought out her make-up kit. 

  
Light agreed and sat down on a nearby stool. Trevi noticed he already had a light application foundation on his face, likely to get rid of shine. So she just added some eye-liner and eye-shadow; the boy had very beautiful eyes that always seemed to be changing colours, going from light brown to amber to blood red. It was both strange and oddly alluring.

  
“Alright, we’re done,” announced Trevi, as she escorted Light out of the apartment. “You better get going now; you don’t want to be late. You can pick up your things on the way back.”

  
Luckily, Light didn’t have far to go, since he only had four minutes left to make it on time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sayu may possibly differ the most out in this story than any other character from Death Note; I'm trying to expand her character, but there is no canonical evidence to support or disprove it. 
> 
> An arikura-no-baba is an old woman with magical powers. Light isn't always the greatest charmer when his guard is down.


	6. A Blue Hawaiian

Light arrives outside the nightclub just on time. Misa is waiting just inside. She gives him an appreciative once over before dragging him out to the dance floor. Though calling whatever everyone was doing dancing was a bit of a stretch; it was mainly consisted of humping and/or grinding.

  
Regardless of the unwanted touching and groping from no less than twenty different people, Light kind of like the atmosphere; the loud music that vibrated through his bones, and the bright multi-coloured lights flashing before his eyes. 

  
After about thirty minutes of ‘dancing’ Misa pulls Light towards the bar. Light is surprised to see Hideki Ryuuga there.

  
“Hey, Hideki-san,” greeted Misa, happily hugging him. “I’m so glad you came.”

  
“I told you I would,” replied Hideki, returning the hug before looking Light’s direction. “Is this your boyfriend? He’s pretty. Are we still on for the threesome?”

  
“I beg your pardon,” replied Light, shocked.

  
“Surprise,” exclaimed Misa, bouncing in excitement. “I thought this was a great way of making our first time together memorable. Hideki here is bi and I’m kind of a yaoi fan. And so, if you’re open-minded, I have a backroom reserved for us.”

  
Light took a moment to deliberate Misa’s request; a boy-boy-girl threesome. This was actually a little bit scary and overwhelming; this was his first ever sexual experience. But also he was kind of looking forward to it; he didn’t want to remain a virgin, Hideki seemed nice and was easy on the eyes, and he didn’t want to disappoint Misa that had been nothing, but kind to him in her own way.

  
“Well, it does sound like fun,” replied Light, giving Misa a gentle kiss on the lips. Hideki had then gripped the back of Light’s head and guided the young man into a deeper, more passionate kiss with him. When their lip parted from each other’s they were both breathing heavy with excitement. “Let’s do it.”

  
“Yay,” cheered Misa, gesturing for Light and Hideki to follow her to second floor where there was a total of five rooms; she unlocked the fourth one. “Come my boy-toys into the play-pen.”

  
“That honestly was the most cringe-worthy pick-up line I’ve heard in a long time,” teased Hideki, laughing when Misa looked at him with indignation.

  
Suddenly, Misa seemed to remember something she forgot. Crossing the room she reached into one of the dresser drawers; she pulled out a camcorder.

  
“No cameras,” objected Hideki, taking the equipment from her hands and putting it away. “I don’t want our activities to be recorded.”

  
“It’s only for personal use,” explained Misa, looking like she felt embarrassed and a little ashamed.

  
“It’s still a sex tape,” replied Hideki, as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want to take the risk of one of those circulating the public.”

  
“Alright,” agreed Misa, looking disappointed before perking back up. 

  
Misa then sauntered over to Light, while removing her jacket. She then began guiding Light over to bed while stripping him of his shirt. Light reached up to remove the collar from around his neck. Hideki had grabbed his hands stilling his movements.

  
“Keep that on,” demanded Hideki, in a husky sounding voice. He then proceeded to kiss the nape of Light’s neck; doing his best to mark it with a line of hickeys.

  
Light was working on removing Misa’s bra while gently pressing his lips along her collar bone. The bra gave him very little trouble, but then again, he has worn a corset before; the basic idea is quite similar. 

  
It wasn’t long before they had removed every article of clothing from each other. Light had then crawled between Misa’s legs to perform oral stimulation; he hadn’t ever done this or any other sexual activity, but he was a quick learner and liked to research things he was unsure about. And rule number one is make sure the nails are smoothly trimmed and clean; no one wants a bacterial infection or irritation down there.

  
Face in position, Light started by using his tongue to lick up the entire vulva before settling around the clit; he wasn’t really fond of the taste at first, but he expected that. He thought about trying that nibbling technique, but he didn’t want mess that one up; biting is a big no-no. So he settled mostly on the swirl, sneak and hoover techniques; he attempted the hummer, but didn’t feel comfortable enough with making so much noise. There were also times that he had to remind himself to slow down; foreplay should take a minimum time of twenty minutes.

  
Then using his other hand he fiddled with her opening trying to gently ease a finger in; her G-spot seemed to be about two inches in. He moved his finger in a ‘come hither’ motion. When Misa’s face went flush and her glands were squirting he felt a little proud; truth be told he had begun looking a Misa’s girl parts as a sort puzzle box and he liked puzzles. 

  
Looking up he saw that Hideki and Misa kissing as he caressed her breasts and she jacked him off. Before he could finish, though Misa had shoved him away.

  
“I want to watch you two doing it,” said Misa, moving off the bed and into a nearby chair. “And I’m going to masturbate to it.”

  
Light and Hideki looked at her perplexed by the abrupt change of positions, but quickly decided to roll with it. Hideki had directed Light to get down on his hands and knees before he proceeded in rimming him. Light enjoyed the feeling of Hideki’s tongue teasing him. Hideki had then stopped as he grabbed the lube; coating both his fingers with it.

  
Hideki had then begun to gently insert his fingers into Light; it took a fair amount of stretching before he was ready for something bigger. Hideki couldn’t stop himself from teasing Light about being a virgin. Regardless, Hideki was very slow and very careful as he entered his lubricated penis into Light’s anus; still it hurt, but after several minutes it wasn’t so bad. Hideki then started moving in and out in a steady rhythm that was gradually quickening in pace, but still making sure to hit his prostate. 

  
Light could feel that he was getting close to orgasming. In a few more thrusts, Light found himself cumming. Looking over at Misa it looked like she herself had orgasmed several times; she certainly wasn’t lying when she claim to be a yaoi fan. Hideki had cum several minutes later; during that time Light had reached a 2nd orgasm.

  
“That was amazing,” said Hideki, panting. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Light’s glistening, sweat covered face; Hideki couldn’t stop himself making a remark on the boy’s attractiveness. “You’re very beautiful. I’m surprised that I’ve never seen you in films or something.”

  
“I have other ambitions,” replied Light, moving into a semi sitting position. Hideki leaned in for another kiss; one of his hands caressed the side of Light’s face while the other gripped his exposed hip. When they parted, Light looked over towards a slumbering Misa. “Do you think Misa enjoyed herself? She left half-way through, so I’m not sure if she felt abandoned.”

  
Light knew Misa had issues (actually that’s partially the reason he got with her) and that she was very sensitive. Something that might not set off a normal person may cause her to burst into tears. There were also moments when Light was almost certain that Misa was suicidal; she had a lot of severe mood swings and would often engage in reckless behaviour.

  
“Yaoi girls are a little strange; I guess it’s similar to how some guys get off watching lesbians. I think she had fun and that there’s nothing to worry about,” suggested Hideki, as he fiddled with the collar around Light’s neck. “How about you wipe off and we go back downstairs? I’d like to do some dancing; I have yet to have a chance to do that today.” 

  
“Alright,” agreed Light, moving away from the bed in search of his clothes. “Should we wake up Misa?”

  
“No, let her sleep,” replied Hideki, covering her exposed flesh with a blanket; to give her a sense of modesty when she woke.

  
\---------

  
When Light and Hideki left the room, Misa’s eyes flew open. She was supposed to get blackmail material on Light. Her first attempt was with Yuri Kagami; this was before she knew that Light wasn’t ashamed of being a flirt. And this second attempt fail due to Hideki Ryuuga, of all people, was too smart to fall for her ploy. 

  
Misa may not know the entirety of alternate Light’s plan, but she knew her part. She had met the other Light the same night she had met Rem and gained ownership of Gelus’s death note. He claimed to be from an alternate universe wanted to needed this universe’s Light’s compliance for something; Misa didn’t know what that something was.

  
Misa really didn’t want to do this to this universe’s Light, but she owned alternate Light a debt; he was Kira and had avenged her parents’ death. Even though this universe’s Light was kinder she loved alternate Light more and would do anything for him. But she had missed her chance to get the blackmail footage; her plan had definitely relied too heavily on Hideki being stupid and Light being naïve. 

  
Flipping open her phone, Misa looked through his contacts for Kira’s number. Suddenly, a name caught her attention; Hitoshi Demegawa. The man was the director for Sakura TV and was a real creep. He was known to request sexual favors from employees and Misa knew for a fact that it wasn’t uncommon for him to drug the unwilling and take advantage them. Hitoshi liked both men and women as long as they were young and attractive. Light certainly fit that description.

  
Misa pressed the call button. As she waited for someone to answer she tried to set up the camera in place where it was hidden from sight. Her hands were shaking so badly that Rem decided to intervene and set the camera up for her. The Shinigami has a disapproving look on her face that borders on disgust, but says nothing.

  
Suddenly an angry, grumbling voice sounded from over the phone.

  
\---------

  
The past two hours had Light and Hideki flirting, dancing, and joking around with each other. Light was actually pleasantly surprised over how much fun he had; he didn’t like the idea of drinking, but thankfully Hideki didn’t push. They were sitting at the bar when Hideki mentioned he was feeling a little tipsy. He then requested a marker from the bartender.

  
“I think I’m going to call a taxi home,” said Hideki, grabbing Light’s arm and uncapping the marker with his teeth. “This is my phone number. I had a lot of fun tonight, let’s do it again sometime.”

  
“I’d like that,” replied Light, looking at the series of numbers Hideki had messily scrawled on his arm. “I should go check up on Misa. Make sure she is alright.”

  
“I’m doing just fine,” answered Misa, who had snuck up on Light.

  
Hideki got up to leave as Light turned his attention towards Misa. Misa had ordered two drinks; a Blue Hawaiian and a Tequila Sunrise. She pushed the blue one in his direction.

  
“I’m meeting another business associate here,” said Misa, sounding sad and defeated. “It’s strictly business this time. Sakura TV is conducting an interview with me.”

  
“Well, that’s good. Isn’t it?” asked Light, turning to face Misa as he ran a hand up and down her upper arm in what was supposed to be a soothing manner. He was becoming increasingly concerned by Misa’s behaviour. Why was she looking so miserable? Was she upset with him?

  
“It is good!” exclaimed a middle-age, morbidly obese man who had taken the seat on the other side of Light. Light had the uneasy feeling that the old man was leering at him. “I’m the director of Sakura TV, Hitoshi Demegawa,” introduced the old, obese man, leaning in uncomfortably close to Light before signaling the bartender. “I’ll have a beer.”

  
“Let’s have a toast,” said Misa, with an uncomfortably forced looking smile.

  
“Actually, I don’t think I’ll imbibe,” interrupted Light. “I have exams tomorrow morning.”

  
“Oh, come on, Light. One won’t hurt you,” begged Misa, placing the drink he had chosen to ignore back into his hands. “Please, for me.”

  
“Fine,” agreed Light, reluctantly.

  
“To my budding career in film,” announced Misa. The three of them all took a sip from their respective drinks. Light took only a few sips from his own, grimacing at the taste. Something seemed off about it, but he had never drunk liquor before so he had no frame of reference on how it should taste.

  
After only a few minutes, Light was finding it difficult to balance; the room was swimming in and out focus and his thought processes felt sluggish. Misa cell-phone ring just barely caught his attention.

  
“It’s Yoshi. She expects me to be ready for tomorrow’s film session, so I have to go now,” explained Misa, hanging up the phone. She then placed a key into Light’s hand. “I don’t think I locked the room upstairs. Can you do it for me? Then give the key back to the owner when you’re done. Thanks.”

  
Before Light could even open his mouth Misa was gone. Light flinched when he felt Demegawa’s hand on his leg. Light decided that he needed to get out of here. Standing up he stumbled a few feet before feeling two meaty hands grip him around the waist. Light tried to pull away, but he felt too weak.

  
“Aren’t you a light-weight?” teased Demegawa, dragging Light up the stairs. “Didn’t even make it through half a cock-tail, did we?”

  
Entering the room, Demegawa turned on the lights before dumping Light face down on top of the bed. He then proceeded to roughly strip Light of his clothing; ripping them in the process. Demegawa had then pulled down his own pants to release his already half hard member. 

  
Light was feeling very confused and disoriented. He wasn’t even sure where he was as he flinted in and out consciousness. There was a flare of pain and a flurry of sounds and colours. The world was no longer making any sense. Light felt very sick, but he was having difficulty moving or even breathing. This went on for what may have been an hour before he blacked-out completely.

  
\---------

  
When Light finally regained consciousness the first thing he realized was he was naked and that he was bleeding; the blood seemed to be coming out of his rectum along with some semen. He also had bruises and cuts all up his thighs and on his hips. His clothes were right next to him and appeared to be heavily torn.

  
According to the radio clock on the night-table it was currently 3:00am. Light could not clearly recall the last several hours. His head was throbbing, he felt sick to stomach and he was shivering as he sweated profusely. Yet he felt oddly numb; like he was somehow disconnected from himself. 

  
Shrugging on his ruined clothes, Light stumbled his way out of the building; not truly comprehending his surroundings. The cold night air seemed to awaken his senses somewhat. He decided he needed to get back home; where it’s safe.

  
Nothing memorable occurs during the walk back. Entering the front door he manages not to run into any of his family members; likely Sayu was asleep or his father not home. 

  
Good, thought Light. I don’t want anyone seeing me like this.

  
Gripping the railing harshly, Light forces himself up the stairs towards his room. He then crawls into bed; not even bothering to remove those damn apple cores. Light lays there on top of the bed covers, eyes wide open for several minutes. Then violent sobs wracked his bruised, damaged body. He did his best to muffle their sounds as tears flowed down his face. Even after he manages to drift off into a fitful sleep, the tears don’t stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I feel the need to apologize for putting a rape scene right after a smut one. Also, as one of my friends pointed out, the sex scenes may have dwelled in the territory of being 'Ikea Erotica' (TV Tropes). Sorry about that, but that's the best I got.


	7. Keeping Secrets and Playing Tennis

The next morning, Light has to force himself out of bed. He doesn’t truly understand what happened last night. He remembers everything clearly up until drinking the blue cocktail. From then on his memories felt oddly foggy, though if he concentrated he could still recall bits and pieces of last night. Misa had received a phone call from… someone. She had then left him with the director of some TV station. The man had then taken him upstairs and… 

  
Rushing to the bathroom, Light had emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. Since there wasn’t much in his stomach to throw up, he ended up mostly dry heaving. As the realization of last night’s events hit, Light found himself curling into himself against the toilet while he cried. He didn’t move from his position on the floor until after he felt that he was done both crying and vomiting.

  
Standing in front of the sink, Light looked into the mirror. His eyes were red and swollen; his make-up from last night had run and was now flaking. Looking down he saw that his clothes were ripped in several areas as well as being wrinkled. He had truly loved these clothes mere hours ago and now he hated them with a passion. 

  
I need to get clean, thought Light. I have to at least look as though I’m still perfect.

  
Light then quickly stripped down with rough, shaky movements before hopping in the shower. He scrubbed at his skin thoroughly with scalding hot water; he felt so disgusting. He wanted that feeling to go away, but he knew it’d be a long time before it did; if it did.

  
Getting out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around himself and picked up his dirty clothes before head back up to his room. He cached the clothes in the back of his closet; he wanted to burn them, but he couldn’t exactly do that discretely. He didn’t have any plans to tell anyone; his father would be so displeased with him if he knew.

  
He had a little more than an hour before he was expected at school. For the first time in his life, Light wanted to skip school. Unfortunately, today that wasn’t an option; it was the To-Oh entrance exams. That meant that he had to go take his exam and pretend everything was alright.

  
Using some eye-drops to reduce the redness and swelling around his eyes, Light headed down for breakfast. Sayu was already half-way through her toast and grapefruit. He could tell that she was wearing that perfume Misa had given her; he really didn’t like the smell, which was some strange combination cinnamon oatmeal and grapes.

  
“Good morning, Sayu,” said Light, forcing a smile. “I can’t stay for long or else I’ll be late for the exams.”

  
“Aren’t you going to eat first?” asked Sayu, through a mouthful of toast.

  
“I’m not hungry,” replied Light. And that was the truth; he felt too sick to his stomach to be hungry.

  
“Here,” said Sayu, handing him a quarter of her unfinished grapefruit half. “Eat that at least.”

  
Light decided to oblige her request, forcing down that little bit of food, which settled uneasily in his stomach. Sayu kept looking at him with a sad look in her eyes. He knew he should ask what was bothering her, but he honestly didn’t have the emotional energy to deal with her problems right now. Light took the awkward silence as his cue to leave.

  
Twenty minutes later, Light walked on the university campus towards the room designated for the entrance exams. They weren’t allowed to enter the room immediately, so he was forced to mingle with the rest of his classmates. Not that he had to talk much, since the only thing that was on everyone’s mind had nothing to do with the exams.

  
It was amazing how everyone was so fixated on the Kira murders; his school-mates were lauding him as a hero. Light himself considered Kira to be a well-intentioned vigilante when he was only murdering murderers and rapists, but then he had begun to murder petty criminals and law enforcement officers. That was when Kira became an irredeemable monster in his opinion, though Light’s father would likely argue that he must have always been an irredeemable monster.

  
Light was seriously worried about his father’s safety. I should be working on the case with him like he promised, thought Light bitterly. But no, instead I’m a suspect. Aren’t they at least going to do a follow-up? So far, no one from the task force had talked with him.

  
The overseer of the exams finally announced that they may enter and sit down at their pre-assigned seat; if Light was truly paying attention he may have found the overseer to have quite the resemblance Shōko Maki. The exam sheets were already laid out on the desks. Light had sat down at his assigned seat and prepared to ace this damn test as soon as the teacher signaled for them to begin.

  
“You have sixty-five minutes to complete the test; your time begins now,” instructed the teacher, standing at the front of the large classroom. Nine minutes in Light had completed three pages of the test with ease and was working on the fourth.

  
“Student 162, please sit normally,” reprimanded the teacher.

  
Light took a moment to discreetly look back at the other students. And sure enough, a few rows back, there was student 162. He was a fairly tall individual with eerily pale skin and dark hair. He was sitting in what looked to be a rather uncomfortable position; both his feet were on the seat in an almost crouching position with his legs touching his chest and his shoulders hunched. As the other adolescence man reluctantly adjusted his sitting position, he and Light briefly made eye-contact.

  
Those dark eyes had studied him in a way that made Light feel nervous. He immediately went back to completing the test and tried to ignore the eyes that would occasionally look up to stare at him. Luckily, after twenty-six minutes Light was finished. He immediately handed in his exam and all but bolted out of the classroom. L followed mere moments afterward.

  
\---------

  
Six days later came the entrance ceremony. It was almost time for it to begin. The school officials, and new students along with their parents were all gathered in the auditorium. Everyone was dressed in what could be considered business attire; all except student 162. He was wearing a baggy, long-sleeved, white shirt with a pair of ripped jeans. 

  
Light was starting to feel a little bit unnerved by this strange man; he had been consistently looking over at him. Light honestly wouldn’t like this at the best of time, but since the incident at the nightclub he’d become more irritable and defensive. After finishing the entrance exams the previous week he had gotten tested for any possible STDs; there was no telling what sort of diseases someone like Demegawa could be carrying otherwise. He had then called Misa and told her to cancel any meetings/interviews with Sakura TV; he may not love the girl, but he didn’t want to chance her getting hurt. 

  
As Light sat there trying to remain calm student 162 wouldn’t stop staring. Why was this causing him to feel scared; threatened? Light wasn’t sure whether those feelings were validated.

  
Light hated having to question his own thoughts, but he knew he wasn’t handling things well. He was much more emotionally sensitive and had a noticeable aversion to touch. He had nearly hit his sister the other day when she had snuck on him while he was cooking breakfast to hug him. Light also wasn’t sleeping well and when he did sleep he was plagued by nightmares, and even more recently, sleepwalking; it was beginning to worry him, since the other night he had awoke in the neighbor’s yard. 

  
_Flashback; Last Night_

  
_Start of Light’s Dream_

  
_Light knew he was in a dream; still even knowing that did nothing to help him control it. The dream started him waking up in the Kasumigaseki water fountain. He had then immediately encountered some kind of deform monster; it was about seven ft. tall, had the head of a lioness with the teeth and ears of a donkey, the body was hairy and the feet were like that of a bird’s with extremely sharp talons. The creature also had wings and was currently flying after him with a set of engraved hand-cuffs clutch in one of its talons._

  
_Running away as fast as he could Light was certain after several hours of not seeing the creature that it had lost track of him. Slowing down he took a moment to observe his surroundings; he was at the Shibuya crosswalk. There were no people just shadows of them. It was night-time, but everything seemed to glow with bright colours; the sky was a deep purple, the buildings neon orange, and even Light’s hair had turn a vivid candy red. He was also wear a set of fox ears._

  
_Suddenly a blue and white coloured panda approached him. The panda was 5’ 10” in height (not including the ears) and was wearing a white sweater (pooh bear style)._

  
_“If want to continue play this game you better follow me,” said the panda before grabbing Light’s hand and heading east. “I want you to observe something for me.”_

  
_As they were running their surroundings began to fall apart before reforming into an entire different location. Light only had enough time to read the address before pulled inside by some unknown source._

  
_The panda hadn’t fallen like he did, so he was probably still up on the surface. There were more moving shadows down here and they appeared to be performing specific tasks; moving things around, sitting at a computer, etc. Lounging on the couch was a young teenager; he was probably about fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. The teenager was deformed in a similar manner that Light was, except he had a wolf’s snout instead of fox ears._

  
_The teen was short in height and had shoulder length blond hair; Sayu would probably say he was cute in an effeminate sort of way. As Light focused his attention on the teen certain other aspects of the dream became clearer, but were still duller in colour then everything else. Some instinct was telling Light these were parts of Mello’s subconscious; Light was confused by that since he had no clue who the hell Mello was._

  
_“That thing burnt Neylon’s eyes out,” muttered Mello, looking as though he was in deep thought as he took a bite of chocolate. “Matt, what are your thoughts about what happened?”_

  
_Light then watched as one of the shadows became more solid and filled with colours. Matt appeared to be a rather ordinary boy, which was almost weird given the surroundings. His eyes were obscured from view by the goggles he was wearing._

  
_“Well, Mello. For starters, I don’t think people should read aloud from books written in Latin,” said Matt, only half-joking as he lit a cigarette. “Especially those that are bound in human skin.”_

  
_“That not what I meant,” complained Mello, as he propped one of his legs up on the couch. “I questioned B before he escaped cell. He said that shinigami are real and that he and L were sired by one. B also said that he briefly encountered one prior to becoming a murderer, and told things about rule 39, shinigami eyes and the Death Note,” Mello paused, scooted closer to Matt. “The mention of shinigami caught my attention; it was in a hidden message Kira sent L. And a notebook of death sounds like the only reasonable murder weapon given the situation. But I don’t think we have the right book; it nothing like how B described.”_

  
_“No, instead we manage to find the Necronicon,” teased Matt, taking deep drag off his cigarette._

  
_Mello picked the book in question up off the coffee table. The title read ‘Libro Incantationem’ , which was ‘Book of Enchantments’ when translated into English from Latin. Light was confused; these men searching for a killer notebook was strange enough, but them finding the wrong one and it causing grievous harm as well. Really, just how many dangerous magical objects are there out in the world?_

  
_Of course, this is just a dream, Light reminded himself. These events don’t have to obey any sort of reality._

  
_Taking a step closer Light tripped over some cables. The noise alerted the others to his presence._

  
_“Who’s there?” shouted Mello, teeth bared._

  
_“Hi, I’m Light,” greeted Light, emerging from the shadows. He wasn’t really worried, he was in a dream after all, but this Mello fellow was kind of scary. He was also curious on what else his mind could conjure up._

  
_Matt disappeared back into shadow as soon as Mello’s attention diverted from him to Light; Light took a moment to absorb the weirdness that was dream logic. Meanwhile Mello seemed to be evaluating him with eyes that were filled with suspicion and bafflement._

  
_“How did you break in? Who sent you?” asked Mello, in rapid succession before eying his ears and continued with. “Where did you even come from?”_

  
_“I fell asleep, a panda, and Japan,” answered Light, bluntly. Light then continued to explain with a little annoyance at Mello, who eyed him with complete disbelief. “You certainly seem to like rationalizing things especially since you’re nothing but a manifestation of my imagination. If you refuse to believe this is a dream then you may want to look at your face.”_

  
_“Wha-” started Mello as he felt his face, which began to contort in horror. “How? It’s not that time of the month yet.”_

  
_Before Light could ask ‘what the hell does that mean’, an oddly concerned looking shadow, that was (used to be) Matt, gently shook Mello’s shoulder. At that moment the dream world appeared to shatter before disappearing with a blinding white light._

  
_End of Light’s Dream_

  
_Light briefly felt as though he falling before waking abruptly in a cold sweat. He let out a scream of pain; he didn’t understand why he was in pain, but it felt as though a piece of him had been ripped out and then placed back in him haphazardly. The pain disappeared quickly though and left him wondering if he just imagined it._

  
_Then when he observed his surrounding he realized he was in his room anymore. He was sitting in the back garden of his neighbor’s house in nothing but his underwear; this was actually how he gone to bed, so that part wasn’t a huge shock, it was just embarrassing._

  
_Light realized that he must have been sleepwalking. Given the extremely upsetting and stressful circumstances he’s been going through lately, sleepwalking didn’t really come as a huge surprise either._

  
_End Flashback_

  
Light released an irritated groan. He already had enough problems, he didn’t need to add sleep issues to all the other’s that seemed to be exponentially growing.

  
The principal’s voice coming from the overhead speakers broke Light out of his troubled thoughts as he tried to concentrate on the ceremony.

  
“For this year’s To-Oh freshman commencement ceremony, we will be having two freshman representatives. On the entrance examinations, both of them had achieved perfect scores. And so, if you could come to the stage as your name is called, freshman representatives; Yagami Light and Ryuuga Hideki,” announced the principal. Afterwards the noise level in auditorium went up drastically. The crowds were gossiping amongst themselves. Some were questioning the strangeness of one person achieving a perfect score let alone two. But most were questioning student 162’s name, it was same name as the pop idol soon to be movie. Everyone was wondering if the real Hideki Ryuuga had managed to get into To-Oh University.

  
That last snippet of gossip almost made him laugh and it had nothing to do with Hideki’s perceived stupidity; the man was no genius, but he had a good level of common sense. No, the humour of the situation was derived by the fact that Light had met Hideki and student 162 looked nothing like him. Regardless, it seemed that things like appearances weren’t enough to deter the rumour mill. 

  
Light and ‘Hideki Ryuuga’ walked up onto the stage. Before making their respective speeches the other boy moved very close to Light. It made Light feel a bit uneasy; there was something strange going on here. ‘Hideki’ leaned in so close to Light’s ear, he could feel the man’s warm breath hitting the side of his neck. The sensation sending shivers down his spine.

  
“I am L,” whispered ‘Hideki’ or rather ‘L’. Was this really the world’s greatest detective? Light wondered. 

  
Light had no way of knowing whether this young man was lying or not. But if he is who he says he is then why is he here? thought Light, feeling confused. Does he think I'm Kira?

  
And if he isn’t who he says he is? Light wondered. Then he might be Kira trying to extract information from the son of the NPA police chief.

  
As Light pondered the new information, ‘L’ walked past him and up to the microphone and began his speech.

  
\---------

  
It was a few hours later that Light was in the tennis court, practicing. Or at least that’s what his excuse was; he felt like he had all this excess energy and anxiety that he needed to burn off. Sweat was pouring off him and his muscles were screaming for him to stop. Yamamoto had agreed to practice with him, but had given up all too soon. 

  
“Nothing like a good tennis match to make friends, is there?” asked ‘L’, as he entered the court, gripping the racket oddly; by the very end with only his finger-tips. “I hear that you are rather good at the sport, Light-kun. Personally, I was once the junior champion in England.”

  
Light remained silent. He really didn’t know what to think of this guy. He only knew that he should be very weary and very careful until all the facts were in.

  
“But even with that information,” continued ‘L’, smugly. “You won’t be able to find my real name.”

  
“You said your name is ‘L’,” explained Light, bouncing the ball a few times before serving. “Fine it’s ‘L’. Whether you’re the famous detective or not remains to be seen.”

  
The game went several on for several minutes before anyone managed to score. It was ‘L’ who had scored that first point.

  
“How about a little wager, Light-kun?” asked ‘L’, attempting a smile he probably shouldn’t have attempted; oddly enough the semi-creepy smile made him feel a bit more relaxed. “If I win you have to do me a favour, if you win I have to do the same.”

  
“Alright then,” agreed Light, preparing for ‘L’s’ returning serve. “I’m ready, ‘L’.”

  
Truthfully, the game had started off innocently enough, but then it got rough. Light was fueling all his anger into the game and ‘L’ was matching his aggression. There was a lot of movement and heavy hits and no breaks.

  
Their brutal game had drawn a sizeable crowd, some of whom had formed their own gambling rings. It seemed as though ‘Hideki Ryuuga’, ‘L’s’ apparent student alias, had an awful lot of fans. Some of the girls were even gushing over how cute he was; and now that Light took an opportunity to really look at the man objectively he actually couldn’t really deny that the man was rather good-looking in an eerie sort of way.

  
Light had then roughly shook his head in an attempt to clear it; this ‘L’ person is a potential murderer and if he isn’t then he thought Light was. Well, at least he didn’t seem to be a rapist, thought Light. A spike of anger ran through him at the memory of that event; it was not even a week ago. This caused him to fuck up and allowed ‘L’ to score two points, but then as he regained focus he managed to catch back up with only a bit of difficulty.

  
It was finally the last round of the game and it was ‘L’s’ serve. Suddenly a thought came to Light; he figured he could likely glean more information from hearing the sort of favour ‘L’ would request than he could doing anything else. Now all he had to do was lose. Still missing on the first swing wounded his pride a little, but he didn’t want to risk possibly winning now that he had a plan.

  
“So, Hideki, what is the favour that I must grant?” asked Light, using ‘L’s’ student alias since they were still surrounded by other students.

  
“Well, how about you clean-up first,” requested ‘L’, tilting his head at an awkward angle. “Because quite frankly, Light-kun, you stink.” 

  
“Ohhhhhh,” said some of the surrounding students that had heard that. Then there was that one kid that had yelled, “Burn!” like he was Michael Kelso from That 70’s Show. Light had to fight the urge to roll his eyes; unfortunately that was a battle he didn’t stand a chance in. 

  
“Fine,” agreed Light, not really taking ‘L’s’ comment to heart too much. “We can continue our discussion in the locker room.”

  
“Alright then,” replied ‘L’, a hint of surprise by the lack of offense towards his insult; Kira is supposed to be very childish and hates losing. So why isn’t he upset over the defeat? Or the insult following his defeat? 


	8. I Married A Kitsune

After Light had left ‘L’ out in the locker room, he entered the showering area. The steady stream of hot water had just begun to relax his tense, aching muscles. The water felt so good; Light found himself getting lost in the calming sensation.

  
‘L’ had taken the opportunity to catch Light by surprise as he started the shower next to his. He smirked as the teenager jumped; L had then grown concerned as an expression, that was both haunted and very scared, briefly crossed the younger boy’s face. Something was very wrong here, but he didn’t have the time to analyze it too thoroughly. He had to gather information that would indicate Light as a viable lead in the Kira case.

  
“I’m still alive,” said ‘L’, looking over the partition at him. 

  
Damn, thought Light. The guy kind of resembles a character from Ju-On. What with his strange posture, pale skin, and dark under-eye circles. It was actually kind of cute.

  
“That’s always good,” replied Light, deadpan as he tried focus on washing himself.

  
“You know?” asked ‘L’, smiling. 

  
Light stared at ‘L’ for a few moments, frowning in confusion. Then it dawned on him that if this was the real L then he thought Light was Kira and that he’d use Hideki Ryuuga’s name to somehow kill him therefore killing the real Hideki; whom Light was sure was still alive. So L thought Light, as Kira, had already seen through the ruse. That there was no way that ‘L’, the world's greatest detective, true name was ‘Hideki Ryuuga’. 

  
“That you’re not Hideki Ryuuga,” replied Light, bowing his head as he positioned it under the spray of the water, thoroughly soaking his hair. It was hard putting his guard down, but he didn’t want to seem suspicious; L thought he was Kira and there was no knowing what damage he could inflict on his reputation or his relationships with his family. “I think everyone knows that.”

  
L chuckled at Light’s bluntness. The auburn-haired teenager hadn’t denied being Kira and even had the gull to criticize his plan. 

  
“Light-kun… you don’t mind if I call you Light-kun?” asked L. Light tilted his head giving L a look of confusion. “It’s just if I called you Yagami-san, it would be the same as what I call your father.”

  
“Oh… my father is working with you? I didn’t know that,” replied Light, feigning ignorance on the off-chance that L wasn’t who he seemed; there was nothing wrong with being properly paranoid. “Well, you can call me whatever you want.”

  
“Then how about Kira?” accused L, he laughed when Light glared at him. “It’s a joke.”

  
“No,” replied Light, turning off the shower and moving away from L. “It isn’t.”

  
“Yagami-san says many good things about you; I wanted to meet you to see what kind of person you were,” explained L, as he followed Light uncomfortably close. “Now I know.”

  
“Hmm,” replied Light, non-committedly as he grabbed a towel to dry off with; wrapping it around his waist he walked back into the locker room.

  
“But the truth is,” continued L, as Light changed into a clean set of clothes. “I still suspect you of being Kira.”

  
“I already expected that,” replied Light, honestly. “So what’s the favour you wanted from me?”

  
“Be my friend,” answered L, as he invaded Light’s personal space again; so close, their noses were almost touching.

  
The close proximity along with the unexpected request caused a spike of anxiety to run through Light’s bones. Light did his best to suppress those feelings that were screaming at him to fight or flee. He took in a deep, steadying breath through his nostrils. A smell then caught his attention; it was Sayu’s perfume. Leaning forwards Light sniffed L’s neck. 

  
Why was the scent of Sayu’s perfume on L? Light wondered, becoming increasingly worried. Was L using her as leverage on him?

  
“I-I need t-to go now,” stammered Light, as he pushed L away with a little too much force. He then hurriedly left; L stood there momentarily perplexed by this odd behaviour. As the door was closing Light had then called back in a placating tone. “We’ll see each other some other time.”

  
\---------

  
The rest of the task force were at headquarters; L had apparently purchased the entire apartment complex for them to use. They had listened as L checked in with them through the radio. The entire scenario that had occurred sounded very strange and suspicious. Soichiro had grown steadily more worried about his son; something was seriously off about him. And Soichiro had an idea of what it likely was.

  
_Flashback; Sixteen Years Ago_

  
_Soichiro was on his way home from work. He had just been promoted to detective and he could hardly wait to break the good news to his loving wife. He met her one evening on a vast moor and had married her immediately. They had been happily married for two years and had just recently started a family together._

  
_Before arriving home Soichiro had stopped off at the pet store and purchased a young husky. His wife, Kuzunoha, had repeatedly requested that they have a pup. She hadn’t mentioned it since Light’s birth, but Soichiro remembered and now that he was going to be working longer hours he thought that she could use a loyal companion._

  
_Walking through the door, Soichiro only had to wait a couple of seconds before his wife greeted him. Kuzunoha was an exceptionally dutiful wife, always managed to maintain an absolutely spotless house-hold, cooked the most delicious meals, and had a pleasantly cheerful demeanor. She was also very beautiful; with long auburn hair, a small, narrow nose, bright amber-coloured eyes, and flawless skin. These were features that she had also passed down to their son._

  
_“I’m glad your home safe,” said Kuzunoha, smiling as she rubbed her nose against Soichiro’s._

  
_“I have some great news,” said Soichiro, as he led her outside. “But first I have a present for you.”_

  
_Soichiro took her toward the front yard where he had tied the dog’s leash to one of the fence posts. The dog, which had been calm only a few minutes ago, had gone berserk._

  
_“Get rid of it,” begged Kuzunoha, scared. “Kill it if you have to.”_

  
_Before Soichiro could do anything the dog had slipped his collar and began attacking Kuzunoha furiously. Kuzunoha’s hands were cut up horribly as she tried to keep the dog away from her throat. Just as Soichiro managed to pull the dog off of her that Kuzunoha’ form had changed into that of a fox. She had then leaped over the fence and fled. Soichiro had stood there in shock for several minutes._

  
_I married a kitsune; I had a fox-wife, thought Soichiro. Well, I don’t care. She’s mother of my child and I love her._

  
_Soichiro had given away the dog to one of her co-workers and had filed a missing person’s report. He had also gone out every night calling for her to come home._

  
_It wasn’t until several months later that Kuzunoha had reappeared. She was sitting by the bedroom window waiting for him._

  
_“Soichiro,” greeted Kuzunoha, with a sad smile. “I can’t stay.”_

  
_“Why?” asked Soichiro, as he wrapped his arms around his estranged wife._

  
_“Inari wants me to come back home,” replied Kuzunoha, as she curled into her husband’s embrace. "It’s too dangerous for me here.”_

  
_“Wait. Inari?” questioned Soichiro, confused. “Isn’t that the name of some sort of food goddess?”_

  
_“Inari is the Shinto goddess of agriculture and industry,” elaborated Kuzunoha, quietly. “And yes, she is that goddess and I am one of her messengers.”_

  
_“So kitsunes exists, Inari exists,” stated Soichiro, numbly before asking. “What else is out there?”_

  
_“Everything, every creature you can think of exists,” replied Kuzunoha. “Though some of them may differ significantly from their legends.”_

  
_“So why is Inari taking you away from me?”_

  
_“Because Lamashtu has been alerted to my presence here. She plans on taking me to Kur, where she’ll torture me,” answered Kuzunoha, pulling away from her husband’s embrace; Soichiro could now see the fear in her eyes. “The pain will feed her and her dying realm. She loves trickster spirits; especially the kitsune. Maybe it’s because we don’t break easily and she can feed on them indefinitely. Most other creatures will eventually die or disintegrate; the kitsune can’t,” Kuzunoha paused briefly as she tried to regain her composure. “I’ve seen the results of the few that could escape; it isn’t pretty and no one has ever truly recovered from it. I am not going to risk my safety by staying here. I can’t and I’m sorry.”_

  
_“Don’t apologize,” said Soichiro, trying to be comforting. “I understand. I don’t want to lose you, but…”_

  
_Soichiro couldn’t even finish that statement. He wanted to be selfish and ask her to stay, but this was his fault; he had accidentally revealed her true identity. This shouldn’t have happened; she was his and he was hers, and they were supposed to live happily ever after._

  
_“Will you spend one last night with me?” asked Soichiro, voice pleading. He just wanted to sleep next to her and hold her close while pretending this wouldn’t be the last time._

  
_“I’d like that,” answered Kuzunoha, as she led him to the bed._

  
_Soichiro and Kuzunoha laid together just curled around one another, holding each other tightly. Hours passed without either of them going to sleep or even so much as closing their eyes. Night would so be over and Kuzunoha would be gone; Soichiro didn’t want miss a single moment of the time he had left with her._

  
_“Um, Soichiro,” said Kuzunoha, getting her husband’s attention. “Will you continue to care for our son when I’m gone? Even if he takes after me.”_

  
_Kuzunoha seemed worried. Soichiro was almost offended, but her concern was understandable. She was leaving, he wasn’t home often and their son was only one year old. And if Soichiro was prejudice against kitsunes then Light would be in a very vulnerable position if he took after his mother._

  
_“Of course, I will,” promised Soichiro._

  
_End Flashback_

  
Soichiro had tried his best to be there for his son and would oftentimes fail. There were many times in which he just couldn’t understand Light; he believed even Kuzunoha would have difficulty in that regard. Luckily, he had met Sachiko the following year and she had been so supportive. She had never once called him crazy or considered Light to be a monster. She was much more helpful than Soichiro’s own family had been.

  
Immediately after Kuzunoha had left him, Soichiro had explained what had happened to his family. To his shock no one had been surprised, apparently this was a fairly common occurrence in their family; not marrying kitsunes necessarily, just encounters with the supernatural in general. Most of them were brief encounters with creatures such as the bakeneko, ōmukade, jorōgumo, and kasa-obake. Though that last one was an isolated incident involving his aunt; it still left Soichiro wondering how a paper umbrella demon manages to kill a person. Still it was understandable how his family was so paranoid, but their coldness toward his son still wasn’t forgivable in his eyes.

  
A majority of his relatives, including his mother and brother, had insisted that he give up Light for adoption; that he would bring him nothing but misery and misfortune. It was sometime after they had tried to kill his son that he had finally cut ties with them permanently. Unfortunately, there had been so much damage done back then.

  
Soichiro knew Light didn’t trust him; the kid had even had an alert system set-up in his room. It took L’s keen observational to not be caught setting up the cameras in the Yagami household five days ago; three forms of detection to reset. A piece of paper, the position of the door handle, and a pencil lead.

  
“Chief, your son is a little strange,” said Aizawa, after listening to L’s report. “What do you think is going on in that kid’s head?”

  
“Well, Ryuzaki wasn’t acting exactly normal,” replied Matsuda, coming to the chief’s defense; Soichiro was grateful, even though he didn’t show it. “Light was probably on the defensive.”

  
“He may have also been skeptical of Ryuzaki’s claims of being L,” speculated Soichiro, quietly; he had caught the part where Light claimed uncertainty on who was on the Kira case even though he most certainly knew of Soichiro and Matsuda. “He was playing ignorant of my involvement on the Kira investigation, incase, on the off chance, that Ryuzaki was Kira.”

  
“That’s a good counter-point, Mr. Asahi,” replied L, his voice coming out over the speaker. “Given the circumstances, your son would be smart to be wary of my claims. And even though his behaviour was strange it doesn’t necessarily indicate he’s Kira. What’s happening with the observations on Mikami, Takada, and Kagami?”

  
The task force had decided to follow Naomi Misora’s suggestions and investigate those that were on the bus. L had decided to bring Misora onto the case as well. So while L was observing Light, Misora was doing the same with Takada, Mogi with Mikami, and Ukita with Kagami.

  
“Mogi reported that Mikami is a dedicated prosecutor. He seems to possess a rigid sense of justice and is not very compassionate. Outside of work he’s not very social; the only exception to this would be the occasional phone call with Takada,” stated Aizawa, summing up the most recent paperwork. “Misora reported that Takada was volunteering at the same campus where Kagami and Light were taking their exams. She had also briefly dated Light about four months previously. Ukita reported that Kagami seemed more to be more stressed about her exams, but mentioned being a Kira supporter to her friends.”

  
“It appears as though there’s a reasonable amount of suspicion for three of our four suspects,” replied L, after a few moments deliberation. He remembered running into Yuri Kagami a few times while he was observing Light; she definitely had a crush on Light, along with a majority of the student body. He’d quickly learned that she was a compassionate and easily flustered person. She was also a very poor liar and had a tendency to give into peer pressure; he was ninety percent positive she wasn’t pro-Kira and only said that because it’s the popular choice. “Tell Okita to come back to headquarters. Then inform Maki, and Moji to make contact with their respective suspect; question them thoroughly and remember to use your false names. Afterwards, watch what they do and make sure not to get caught. I’m going to do the same with Light.”

  
“Alright,” agreed Soichiro, as Aizawa called in L’s new instructions.

  
Soichiro was feeling so much fear and stress coursing through him; he could swear that his hair was even getting greyer. Light was likely a kitsune, but was he monster? He couldn’t recall anything in myths that would allow him to murder the way Kira does; that made Soichiro feel a bit better. Still even if Light is innocent, Soichiro doesn’t know how long he could hide Light’s heritage. These murders called for thorough investigation and Light was already displaying some unusual behaviors that were calling attention to his vulpine nature.

  
“Are we just going to ignore how a simple practice match turned into a full out tennis game complete with an empire and a line judge?” asked Ide, truly puzzled. “How does that happen?”

  
\---------

  
“SACHIKO! Where are you going?!” cried Kuzunoha, looking at her oldest and dearest friend with fear in her eyes. “You have to stay here. Where it’s safe?”

  
“You want me to run and cower in the Spirit Realm. You want me to abandon my children,” said Sachiko, crossing arms, an angry expression darkening her features. “I’m not like you.”

  
“Fine, go back to your family,” said Kuzunoha, through clenched teeth. “Still it won’t do anyone any good when you cease to exist. Lamashtu may not be a threat to you, but the shinigami are. Going back presents a very real danger to you; you know that if a bakeneko or nekomata dies of supernatural means outside of the spirit realm their souls are forever lost.”

  
“I know there’s a risk, but my children still need me,” replied Sachiko, more gently as she realized that she was being a little harsh on the woman that was like a sister to her. Truth be told, Sachiko was scared too, but she couldn’t handle being parted from her loved ones for so long. They needed her and she needed them.

  
“I still need you though and so does your mother. Do you think Memine wants to see her only kitten die?” retorted Kuzunoha, angrily. “Don’t you realize that our husband being a police chief puts you in danger? Kira is now targeting those on either side of the law; he could go after you due to your association with someone who opposes him. Don’t you understand” Sachiko could hear the poorly concealed pain and fear that breaking her voice. “It’s not like leaving was my choice, Inari made-”

  
“Inari didn’t make you do anything; she doesn’t care what happens to you to be honest. She just replaces the kitsune that go missing with the nogitsune,” interrupted Sachiko, not letting Kuzunoha feed her any bullshit excuses. “You made a choice and it was to run. And it wasn’t entirely about the demon chasing you, was it?”

  
A look of sadness and shame crossed Kuzunoha’s delicate features; features that reminded her so much of her Light. As both a friend and mother, Sachiko was compelled to comfort her. Hugging her sister close to her chest, Sachiko felt Kuzunoha’s tears soaking her shirt. They sat like this for several minutes before Sachiko pulled away. 

  
“You were afraid Soichiro was going hate you eventually, just for being what you are,” said Sachiko, not allowing Kuzunoha to continue lying to herself; yes, she was afraid of Lamashtu, but that wasn’t the only thing she feared. “It’s not fair how much a kitsune suffer when rejected by their lover.”  
  
  
“I wish that was the only problem,” whispered Kuzunoha, voice choked with tears. “Inari created us and then wanted us gone. She practically gave Lamashtu permission to hunt the kitsune. Do you know why almost anyone is capable of enslaving us? It's because of how she made us. And then she just threw us away, like we were nothing more than trash... and without a home realm and without her protection...” Kuzunoha's voice cuts out; tears overwhelming all other functions. Then in a quiet voice she asks. "Why does she hate us, Sachiko?”

  
Sachiko didn’t know how to answer this; she didn’t know what Kuzunoha wanted to hear. Kuzunoha already knew how Inari created the kitsune during a violent, savage time, a time of war, in order to protect Japan and its warriors. Inari had initially created them as very powerful beings (even more powerful than she was), but without free-will. This had proven to be disastrous. Inari couldn’t control them all and as result had them make mistakes that had cost many people their lives. She had then made the decision to give the kitsune free-will, but before she did that she weaken their abilities so that they could never surpass her; Inari had observed what happened to Cronus and the other titans when Zeus and the other first generation gods took over.

  
Unfortunately for Inari, the kitsune still had those powers deep down and the next generation of kitsune had been able to begin unlocking them by the time the 13th century arrived. Inari had realized her mistake, but couldn't do anything about it, except kill off the first kitsune generation. The generations afterwards couldn’t die after the age of eighteen. But they could be restrained under certain conditions; it required several intricate enchantments and something that could encircle either the wrists, ankles, or neck. Then there was severe heart-break that could leave them bedridden for months. The pain was very real; Sachiko had only witnessed it once, but that one time had been devastating.

Kitsunes were at their weakest when their loved ones had left them and that was why they always left first or simply refused to love anyone ever. 

  
It was sad how the majority of kitsunes understood the meaning of a fate worse than death. This was due to their dealings with Inari. It was very depressing how many of the kitsunes were totally devoted to her and she did nothing but reject them or even worse, give them away to other pantheons where they were regarded as nothing more than slaves.

  
“There is no good reason for her hate and truthfully you deserve better than her,” said Sachiko, trying to provide her friend as much comfort as she could before leaving. “And I’m sorry, but I do have to go back home. I came here with you, because I was frightened; but I now realized that's no excuse for abandoning my babies. Sayu may not come into her bakeneko heritage, but Light is definitely becoming a kitsune. He’s going to need guidance.”

  
“He is he going to need you,” admitted Kuzunoha, though there was air of regret in voice; Sachiko could almost hear the unsaid words of ‘he would have needed me if things were different’. She then looked up at her with a watery smile. “Are we still friends?”

  
“Of course, we are,” replied Sachiko, reassuringly. “That’s not ever going to change.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a shower scene with L and Light in episode 4 of Death Note's tv drama. That is not something I made up. As for the mythological elements in this chapter, those have been somewhat changed. Though did I think Inari was a goddess not god so that was a legitimate mistake; everything else was done on purpose.
> 
> Mythological information this fic is based on; 
> 
> \- The kitsunes in Japanese folklore are a type of Yōkai. They are depicted as intelligent beings, and of possessing magical abilities, such as shape-shifting, fire generation, time manipulation, possession, etc. Some folktales have them as malevolent tricksters while others portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives. 
> 
> \- Inari is the Shinto god of rice, the protector of food, and bringer of prosperity. In earlier Japan, Inari was also the patron of swordsmiths and merchants. He has over 40,000 shrines dedicated to him across Japan, the oldest and most important of which is the Fushimi Inari Shrine near Kyoto. Its famous red torii gates and fox statues in honour of the animal, which is considered the god’s messenger and guardian. 
> 
> \- Lamashtu, from Mesopotamian mythology, is a female demon, monster, malevolent goddess or demigoddess. She would menaced women during childbirth and, if possible, kidnapped their children while they were breastfeeding. 
> 
> \- The Titans, from Greek Mythology, were gigantic, powerful, and primeval beings that loomed in the background of many Greek myths and tales. They were the children of Uranus and Gaia, and ruled the world before they were overthrown by the god Zeus and his five brothers and sisters.


	9. Unusual Friendships and Bracelets

After leaving locker-rooms Light immediately checked his phone; Sayu seemed to be in Shibuya’s shopping district; likely hanging out with her friends. Still he called Sayu’s cell-phone to make sure she was safe. He began to panic when his little sister didn’t pick up right away; it took several rings before she answered.

  
“What’s up, Light?” greeted Sayu, cheerfully; Light could hear her friends giggling in the background. She probably had him on speaker phone; actually considering the headache that was beginning to form behind his temples, he decided to do the same thing.

  
“Nothing really, just checking up on you,” replied Light, stopping under the shade of a sycamore tree. “Have you encounter anyone who was acting strangely? Or who simply made you feel uncomfortable?”

  
“Well, no one immediately comes to mind… Oh, there was that student ‘Hideki Ryuga’,” replied Sayu, laughing; Light was almost certain that she was using the air quotes gesture. “He was quite strange. I met him after the entrance ceremony; he seemed lonely, so I gave him a hug and talked with him for a bit.”

  
“That’s all?” asked Light, relieved. And a little embarrassed; realizing only now that he was acting way too anxious to be considered normal. “Well, that explains why I could smell your perfume on him.”

  
“Wait! You sniffed him? What were you two doing?!” asked Sayu, shocked. “Actually, hold for a sec,” there was a pause as she checked an app on her phone. “And why you are leaving the To-Oh campus just now?”

  
“‘Ryuuga-san’ and I had a tennis match,” explained Light, feeling even more embarrassed than before, but for different reasons. “He won. Apparently, he was once junior champion back in England.”

  
“He was?” asked Sayu, so perplexed that Light had to stifle laugh. “Looking the way he does, I wouldn’t have thought… Are you sure?”

  
“That’s what he told me so… no; I’m not sure,” replied Light, grinning when Sayu laughed. “But he is pretty talented both academically and athletically.”

  
“So do you like him? Are you two like… yaoi?” asked Sayu suddenly, causing Light to choke. “Because I’m like totally cool with that as long as you’re happy. So are you uke or se-”

  
“Bye, Sayu,” interrupted Light, as he ended the call. His face begun to heat up with embarrassment.

  
Pinching the bridge of his nose in mild irritation, Light was about to resume walking when suddenly someone grabbed his arm. Turning around he saw L perched precariously on a park bench.

  
“Hmm… So that fit you threw was all due to perfume and being an overprotective brother. Interesting,” said L, with a thoughtful look. Light suddenly click into how bizarre behaviour was. This wouldn’t be the first time his better than average senses and quick reflexes had gotten him in trouble; there was a reason he had considered quitting tennis back in junior high. “So Light-kun, are we friends?”

  
“Yeah, sure,” answered Light, casually. He speculated that L wanted to question him, so he may as well take some semblance of control while it was still an option. “But before you proceed in questioning me, can you arrange for someone I know that’s on the task force to confirm your identity?”

  
“Yes, I can,” replied L, as he contacted headquarters on his cell-phone.

  
“What’s the situation, Ryuzaki?” asked Aizawa, frowning in concern; it has only been eleven minutes, since his last report. What could have happened in that amount of time?

  
“Can you put Yonjuro Asahi on the phone?” requested L, ignoring Aizawa’s question. There was a series of muffled mutterings before Soichiro’s voice came over the phone.

  
“What’s going on, Ryuzaki?”

  
“I need you to explain a few things for Light-kun here,” replied L, as he watched Light waiting patiently. 

  
“What the hell kind of game are you playing at?” asked Soichiro, his voice was noticeably distorted with anger. As stubborn as the chief may be on his values and ideas of justice, he was very much a papa wolf; L actually felt sympathetic towards the man, since his son was likely Kira.

  
“I’m handing the phone over now,” warned L, as he gave his cell-phone over to Light.

  
“Light?” asked Soichiro, when Light didn’t say anything immediately. Hearing his father’s voice had eased Light’s remaining fear; this alone confirmed L’s claims.

  
“Hi, Dad,” greeted Light, feeling a load of tension leave the muscles in his shoulders. “So, ‘Ryuuga-san’ here is really L.”  


“Yes, he is,” confirmed Soichiro, before gently requesting his son’s co-operation. “L will likely want to ask you some questions. Please, be forthcoming and honest with your answers.”

  
“I will. Thanks, Dad. Bye,” replied Light, hanging up and giving L his phone back. “Do want to go get a coffee together?”

  
“I don’t like coffee,” argued L, noting how Light’s eyes briefly gleamed red. Frown deepening in concentration, L remembered Beyond Birthday’s claims of possessing shinigami eyes; they were red. And then there were the Kira suicide notes that mentioned shinigamis in a hidden message; they love apples and Light’s room was almost constantly littered with chunks of apples.

  
Frustrated, Light wondered if L was being difficult on purpose while he was forced to be co-operative if he wanted to prove his innocence.

  
“Really? I’d thought a guy like you would thrive off it,” teased Light, indicating the dark under-eye circles. “Well, I’m sure any café would have a variety of beverages to order from. Come on.”

  
L had then hopped off the bench and began walking beside him. Light decided to head towards his favorite coffee shop in Aoyama. 

  
“So why do you and your sister have trackers on one other?” asked L, a genuine hint of curiosity entering his tone. 

  
“Well, that’s sort of difficult question to answer,” muttered Light, feeling overwhelmed.

  
“Try,” requested L, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. Light briefly wondered if he was being that obvious.

  
“Alright…”

  
_Flashback; Three and a Half Months Ago_

  
_Light had just gotten home from school and was getting ready for cram school. Heading downstairs he came across his mother and sister watching the news. He was absent-mindedly listening in._

  
_“The same assailant who had attacked six people at a busy shopping district in Shibuya yesterday has struck again,” announced a reporter, standing in front of a nearby day-care centre. “Taking ten people hostage at this day-care centre; his captives include both children and teachers along with two police officers. The police have now identified the suspect as forty-two year old, Kuro Otoharada, currently unemployed.”_

  
_Light remembered his father mentioning that he was going to that same day-care for a short educational demonstration. And judging by Sachiko and Sayu’s expressions they remembered that conversation as well. Light could feel his chest tighten with anxiety as he sat down next to Sayu. His father had been the one to arrest Otoharada ten years prior, so Soichiro life was at greater risk than anyone else’s._

  
_Coming to a decision Light opened his phone and connected to the internet. He searched up the Kira webpage that the vigilante was known to be frequenting this week. He typed ‘Kuro Otoharada, channel 4 news now’ into a suggestion box._

  
_“Wait, we’re seeing something here; looks like there’s movement at the front doors,” said the news reporter, as the footage revealed several children and adults exiting the building. “The hostages are coming out and they all look to be alive,” the camera panned over the former hostages as the last of them left the building and Light felt Sayu hug him tightly when their father’s face was shown amongst them. “The special forces are now moving in. We don’t know yet if the suspect has been arrested. Huh, yeah… okay, we now have confirmation. The suspect has been found dead inside. I repeat, the suspect is now dead. The special forces are denying any involvement. Is this the work of Kira? Statements from hostages say that the assailant just collapsed.”_

  
_Light just sat there numb for several moments; it wasn’t Kira he was thinking about. He didn’t like the idea of asking someone like Kira for help, but he was glad to have his father still alive. He could have died today. But what if this happened again? What if it was his mother or Sayu in that position?_

  
_“Light. Light! LIGHT!” called Sachiko, trying to get Light’s attention. Really, as brilliant he was, that kid was always zoning out, thought Sachiko. “If you don’t leave now, you’re going to be late for cram school.”_

  
_“Of course,” said Light, disentangling himself from Sayu’s embrace. “Sorry Mom.”_

  
_“No worries, it’s completely understandable,” said Sachiko, as she walked Light to the front door. “Are you alright?”_

  
_“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” asked Light, rhetorically as he forced a smile on his face._

  
_Before his mother could reply, Light had already started walking away. During the entire trip to cram school, Light couldn’t get his thoughts off how he may have participated in murder. He was beginning to feel mildly nauseous and an overwhelming sense of guilt; but really what were the chances that Kira had gotten his message out of thousands. It was likely that it was only a coincidence. Still those troubling thoughts wouldn't leave him. Even when he was sitting in the classroom listening to the teacher his thoughts were still on it._

  
_There was a brief break after the practice exams so they could be marked. During that time a commotion between Ryo and Sudou had occurred. No one really paid attention to it; everyone knew Sudou was a bully and that his current target for the past few weeks had been Ryo._

  
_Honestly, what is wrong with people like Sudou? They’re not really any different than men like Otoharada, thought Light. Hurting and threatening people for little to no reason or reward. Even if they get away with it how can they handle something like that on their conscience?_

  
_There so many rotten people in this world and there’s nothing anyone can do about it, thought Light. Except for Kira._

  
_Light knew that he who hunts monsters risks becoming one, but this seemed to be a monster people could use as protection. Self-defense is legally and morally okay if there is no other option. But Light also knew he should never use a site like that again because it isn't right to wish for someone's death especially when it comes true; it's just that he had been so scared._

  
_Getting back the results back from the practice test he saw that he had gotten perfect. With class now over, Light left the building. He was about to head home when a thought came to mind; he was worried about his family being in a dangerous situation, so why doesn’t he take some precautious measures. So that he would never have to wish for someone's death; like had done earlier today when he had prayed for Kira's brand of justice before possibly losing his father._

  
_Light goes into an electronic shop and purchases a set of three trackers; his part-time job with Trevi allowed him to purchase them with his own money. It may seem like an unusual purchase, but knowledge is power and preparation is survival. A person may not plan on getting kidnapped, lost, or incapacitated in which other people don’t know your location, but it doesn’t hurt to be ready for a worst case scenario. Light knew it would be difficult convince his parents of the merits of this idea and that it definitely seemed to be an over the top reaction to the current situation. Finally after getting home he was greeted by his mother._

  
_“I wasn’t expecting you home so early,” said Sachiko, surprised. She became worried over this change in behaviour considering what happened earlier. “Are you sure that you are alright? Do you need to talk?”_

  
_“Oh, no, I’m fine,” answered Light, and before he could head upstairs his mother held out her hands expectantly. It took a few moments for him to understand her request._

  
_“Oh… the results of the nation-wide exams,” said Light, as he rummaged around knapsack for the paper with his results. “Here.”_

  
_“Goodness, number one again,” said Sachiko, beaming proudly. “This is your highest score yet.”_

  
_“Yeah, I guess,” replied Light, feeling uncomfortable about his unusual purchase; he had to keep a perfect façade up and doing something this paranoid would definitely sully that image. Why did his mother have to look so proud of him? He didn’t really feel like he deserved it; then again may his mother didn’t think so either. She was always reaching for his results, never for him as a person. “I’m going to go upstairs and study. Okay?”_

  
_“As you wish, dear,” replied Sachiko, flashing him a concerned smile. “If you need anything, just let me know.”_

  
_Light ignored the rest of his mother’s statement and closed the door to his bedroom. Locking it, he immediately dumped the contents of his bag onto his bed. Gathering his texts he headed toward his desk. He was less than five minutes into reading the chapter twenty of his English literature textbook when he heard someone fiddling with the door handle before knocking. Judging by the enthusiasm it was probably Sayu._

  
_“Hey, Light,” greeted Sayu, smiling when he opened the door. “Why’s your door lock?”_

  
_“No reason,” replied Light, before asking. “What do you need help with this time?”_

  
_“Quadratic equations,” answered Sayu. Light knew she was smart enough to do this sort of stuff by herself; he was beginning to suspect this was a ploy to get him to do her homework for her. Not that he minded, since she seemed to legitimately enjoy spending time with him. “Sorry to interrupt. I know you are studying right now, but I’m like the only one in my class who doesn’t get this stuff. Thanks so much for doing this.”_

  
_“No problem,” replied Light, as looked over his sister’s homework._

  
_“Um… Light what is this?” asked Sayu, picking up his most recent purchase._

  
_“Nothing,” muttered Light; embarrassed by his earlier paranoia. “An impulsive buy.”_

  
_“You. Impulsive,” teased Sayu, with mock shock before reading the package. “These are trackers. Cool.”_

  
_“Well, I was thinking better safe than sorry,” explained Light. “This may be a bit excessive.”_

  
_“I don’t think so,” replied Sayu, honestly. “Are you going to wear one?”_

  
_“That was the plan,” answered Light, relaxing as Sayu validated his feelings. “One for Mom, one for you, and one for me; I don’t think Dad would be allowed to have one on him at work. I just need to install the app and we’re good to go.”_

  
_“Hey, you know I believe these are small enough to woven into friendship bracelets,” said Sayu, excitedly. “Forget the homework for now let’s do this. I’ll do the ones for you and Mom and you do the one for me.”_

  
_“What if they don’t agree? What if they think I’m being paranoid and stupid? I know I’m acting crazy, but truthfully, I’m scared” said Light, panicking. “And I can’t say anything about; I don’t think I could live if they were ever to be disappointed in me.”_

  
_“Do you honestly think our parents could ever reject you? Or criticize you for how you feel?” asked Sayu, when Light didn’t answer her gaze turned sympathetic. “I’ll tell them it was my idea.”_

  
_Light gave his sister a small, but genuine smile. He and Sayu had then spent the rest of the night on their little project. To be able to fit the tracker inside it took making a total of six bracelets per person and sewing them together; three on top, three underneath and a tracker in between. Light had to admit he liked the colours Sayu had made his bracelet; red and pink._

  
_So with all the equipment setup and ready to go, it was still a few days later before Sayu mentioned ‘her idea’ to their mother. Sachiko had been surprisingly receptive to the idea, even if it was mildly insane._

  
_End Flashback_

  
Light had explained these events to L while omitting sort key elements. He didn’t mention using the Kira website; not that it mattered, it was likely Kira would’ve killed Otoharada without his interference. Nor did he say anything about his thoughts or insecurities at the time; as far as anyone knew the tracking bracelets were Sayu’s idea.

  
“What an interesting family activity,” said L, after a few moments of deliberation. “Are you and your sister close, Light-kun?”

  
“Yeah. I think so,” replied Light, as he opened the café door for L; it was so strange that a guy capable of athletics, such as tennis, to be walking around hunched over like an old man. Was it some sort of ploy? “Why do you asked?”

  
“I want to know how much I can trust her opinion of you,” answered L, bluntly. “Would she be willing to lie for you?”

  
“Perhaps,” replied Light, shrugging nonchalantly. He knew for a fact that Sayu had been known to lie both to him and for him. “She’s a very honest person for the most part.”

  
Sitting in a booth by the window L and Light took their orders; Light decided on coffee, and L had lemon tea with twelve sugars and a slice of strawberry shortcake. Light raised a questioning eyebrow at his new friend’s sense of taste; how did this guy not have diabetes or some other sort of health problem? 

  
“If you can prove to me that you’re not Kira then I’d like to have you on the investigation team,” said L, stacking several unused cream containers. Light was so overjoyed by L’s offer, but was too skeptical to respond. A couple of minutes passed in complete silence before L continued. “Would you mind submitting yourself to a test of your deductive reasoning skills?”

  
“Sure, why not?” responded Light, excited over being able to prove himself to the world famous detective. “Let’s do it.”

  
“Alright, then we can begin by looking at these,” explained L, as he laid three photos on the table. “Photographs of three notes written by prison inmates while under Kira’s control prior to their deaths; none of this information has been made public. You can take as long as you like to look these over then tell me what you think.” 

  
As Light looked over each photo, L watched him with a certain level of intensity; it was kind of distracting. Pushing his feelings aside, Light studied the photos knowing that there had to be something there if L was testing him. He decided to flip the photos over to look at the print number; this will at least give him a chronological order to work from. 

  
He flipped the photos over again, so he could evaluate the messages on the front. Light then noticed something unusual when he lined the messages side by side; L, do you know? Love Apples, Gods of Death. That doesn’t sound correct. If he just swapped two of the photos, he’d have a more cohesive statement; L, do you know? Gods of Death love apples. But why was it written out of chronological order.

  
“That is incorrect,” said L, making Light realize he had been vocalizing his thoughts; how could a person who was accusing him of being a murderer make him feel so relaxed. “There are actually four photographs. When we add this one, it reads, ‘L, do you know? Gods of Death who love apples have red hands’.”

  
“That’s not correct,” replied Light, puzzled. His analysis wasn’t entirely wrong, since he was correct about the chronological order being wrong; he just didn’t deduce that there was a fourth photo. But there was a bigger issue to address. “There is no ‘who’ in that statement. It reads ‘L, do you know? Gods of Death love apples have red hands’. This would indicate that Kira has the grammatical skills of a caveman.” 

  
It felt as though L’s gaze was dissecting him as he looked at him with an ever deepening frown marring his pale face. Light looked down at his cup of coffee, so he didn’t have to meet L’s gaze. L was actually baffled that this teenager had seen and pointed out the errors in his gambit without somehow revealing himself to be Kira; there was no denying that Yagami-san’s son was sharp.

  
“I apologize if my answer was not to your standards,” replied Light, after the silence had dragged on too long. “I hope that you won’t rescind you offer of having me join the task force.”

  
“Why?” asked L, abruptly.

  
“Why what?” asked Light, tilting his head in confusion.

  
“Why do you want join the task force so badly?” clarified L. He was curious about what Light would say about his motivations; it’s a very strange thing want after all.

  
“My Dad’s on the task force,” replied Light, as though that explained everything.

  
“What does that have to do with anything?”

  
“I look up to him and I want him to be proud of me. Assisting him in catching Kira will do that,” explained Light. It was the truth, helping his father catch dangerous criminals made him feel useful, but it would never last; as soon as the job was done he’d sink right back into the feelings of endless sadness and utter worthlessness. That and whenever he wasn’t on a case with his father he found himself constantly worrying about his safety. “Also if I’m on the team I can look after him; he has a tendency of neglecting his own health when working difficult cases.”

  
L was finding it difficult to find the connection between Light and Kira. It was like putting together a puzzle that had half the pieces replaced with a different puzzle that had the similar picture. Light fit parts of the description very well, but other parts had to be jabbed in haphazardly. He was intelligent enough to go toe to toe with L in an educational setting. He was very charismatic with the ladies. And considering his relationship history he was very immature and possibly narcissistic, since the longest relationship he had besides Misa was one week.

  
Then there were the pieces that refused to fit, no matter how L positioned them. Light was much more patient and calm than Kira seemed to be. He really only acted rashly when he was being an overprotective brother. He also seemed to legitimately love his family and seems to worry about their safety. But was it all an act to fool the task force; was Kira really such a good actor. Then again, there was the camera footage that had shown Light to burst into crying fits when alone; was a guilty conscience eating away at him. But would Kira even be capable of feelings such as guilt. 

  
Why were there so many contradictions when it came to Light? thought L, frustrated. There were only four people who could be Kira based on Raye Penber’s death. Light was the most likely of them. He was a student, he had connections with the Japanese police, and he had a similar personality and skill set as Kira. Also Penber was investigating Light at the time.

  
“You’ve been having nightmares,” stated L, finding a new line of questioning that may subconsciously reveal something. “What have they been about?”

  
Light remained silent. He didn’t understand why L would want to know this; was he trying to look for answers in his subconscious. And- Wait…

  
“How do you know about my sleeping habits?” asked Light, feeling disturbed.

  
“Well, you’ve been sleepwalking lately,” continued L, expanding upon his first inquiry. “Last night you were running throughout the Shibuya neighborhood in your underwear. I believe they were black boxer briefs. And you also said something about chasing pandas.”

  
“Oh, fuck,” groaned Light, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment. 

  
“So, you can see why I’m curious?” asked L, smirking. “Can you please explain?”

  
“I don’t see the point, but fine, I’ll tell you about it,” replied Light, trying to sound indifferent. “I was fleeing a monster when I came across a panda. He then proceeded to dragged me to Los Angeles where I met Mello and Matt, who were discussing B and the Necronicon. And this-”

  
“Wait,” interrupted L, feeling perplexed. “How do you know Matt, Mello and B?”

  
“They were characters in my dream,” replied Light, uncertainly. He was rather confused by L’s question. “If I’ve met them before at some point, then I don’t remember them.”

  
L took a moment to silently evaluate Light’s words, actions, and appearance. He was beginning to think that Light may be a supernatural being of some sort. L himself was a vampire; it’s what happens when humans mate with creatures of death; his twin brother, Beyond Birthday, knew more about it than he did though. Apparently, B had met their deadbeat dad at some point and believed him to be a shinigami.

  
So as L followed this line of thought he noticed that Light had very unusual looking eyes; they seemed to change colours with his mood, so that when he was happy they were amber, sad was brown, and angry or distressed was red. B had red eyes; L mentally berated himself for thinking that, it had no bearing on this case. Light also had very light brown hair with a reddish tinge in a stark contrast to the rest of his family who had very dark coloured hair; actually, he bared a very minimal resemblance to his other family members, though he may have his father’s dimples. Was he a changeling? If so he may possess the gift of premonitions. L could use him to find the runaway children from Wammy House; Mello and Matt were both very brilliant and that could be very dangerous when left unattended.

  
“Do you know where in LA they were located?” asked L, a determined expression on his face. 

  
Light thought this was strange; a dream is a dream, nothing else. Unless there was something locked in his subconscious that L had found. Was it possible that Light could be Kira without knowing it? Like Jackal and Hyde. 

  
“895 Clydown Avenue,” answered Light, recalling that tidbit of information effortlessly. Light then watched as L began typing on his phone. Why is he doing that? What profound meaning does 895 Clydown Avenue have?

  
L was typing a message to Wedy, which read, ‘Check out 895 Clydown Ave, LA. Mello and Matt may be there. Also look into the B situation’. After he was finished with his messaging he looked up and saw that Light was watching him with a questioning look in his eyes.

  
“I guess this concludes our interrogation for the time being. I’ll be in touch with you,” said L, hopping to his feet and getting ready to leave when Light grabbed his hand, bringing him to a halt. “What is it, Light-kun?”

  
“Well, I was wondering if you were serious about being friends?” asked Light, hesitantly. He wanted to get more time with L, so that he could do more to prove his innocence. Light had a bad feeling that L had just made an assumption about him that raised his chances of being Kira. “‘Cause I was wondering if you’d like to join me and my sister for supper? I’m making a chicken stir-fry.”

  
“Huh, why not?” replied L, as he and Light exited the café; it was just beginning to get dark. “I’m supposed to continue watching you for the next four hours anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, in canon, that the shinigami eyes are a stylistic effect and can't be seen in by other characters. Then again, this is both a fanfic and a parallel universe, so the rules can be whatever they need to be.
> 
> In the Death Note tv drama, Soichiro was held hostage by Kuro Otoharada.


	10. Sacrifices

Returning home with L had been interesting. They had discussed an array of topics they found interest in. Somehow they had settled around psychology and serial killers. Talking about the biological trait theories and the psychodynamic theory had led to a somewhat heated debate.

  
“So you’re saying that neglectful mothers cause serial killers?” taunted L. Light could tell that he was trying to get a rise out of him to gauge his reaction. “This makes me wonder how you are so popular with women.”

  
“You are purposely misinterpreting my meaning,” said Light, with a huff as he calmly called L out. “What I said was that neglect of a child during the infancy stages can cause sociopathy; I made no mention to either parent. Plus sociopathy by itself doesn’t necessarily create a killer, but that lack of empathy is a strike against them. Especially, when you start adding in other real life mental health problems and compound that with stress and resentment.”

  
There was a brief silence as L seemed to evaluate his answer. Light wished they could go back to their earlier conversion on physics. Light had even liked L’s joke about the Sellmeier equation and Light’s own name; for added perspective, the equation is used to determine the dispersion of light in a medium. It was almost like they had a relationship that was a kin to being friends rather than detective and suspect. 

  
“Actually, I don’t think the biological traits theories apply to Kira,” admitted Light, knowing that was what L was looking for; Kira’s opinions on Kira even though he wasn’t Kira. “But psychodynamic theory doesn’t make sense either. Kira doesn’t seem to display actions that are driven by their id personality; there’s no sort of violent or sexual pleasure to be had by killing from a distance using heart failure. The Kira killings seem to be more driven by the superego, though their values and morals are rather questionable.”

  
“Kira is childish and hates to lose,” said L, appearing to ignore Light’s entire assessment. 

  
“I was personally thinking Kira was more narcissistic and with a god-complex,” said Light, confused by L’s comment; and a bit offended since L also thought he was Kira. “But childish and hates to lose is applicable as well.”

  
“Is Light-kun upset with me?” 

  
“No.”

  
“If it will help, I’m sorry if you happen to not be Kira,” said L, resting a comforting hand on Light’s shoulder as he pulled something out of his pocket. “Here have a strawberry.”

  
Light giggled and L smiled despite the unusual way Light’s face seemed to contort. L wondered if he had some underlying medical issue, since parts of his face appeared to be frozen; L made a note to self to look into it, and make sure he wouldn’t suffer long term damage. When the investigation was done he actually had plans on hiring Light; he hired plenty of criminals who were the best in their fields. That line of thought was briefly derailed as Light actually ate the strawberry. When he did the same with Mogi he had just pocket it; and L had found even that strange. He’d have to careful not accidently poison Light. 

  
Light, on the other hand, had his face heat up in embarrassment by what he just did. The action L had done just now remind Light of his sister when he wouldn’t eat for long stretches of time. Also he seems to like him despite his flaws; he hadn’t meant to lower his guard around L so much. He was aware of some of his strange behavior and actions. Like his occasional zoning out; his teacher had once thrown a chalk-board eraser at him in frustration. Or how some of facial expressions could be considered uncanny. There were times when Light hated how his body seemed to always be betraying him.

Before it was just his mercurial eyes that unnerved people, but for the past two years his smiles were getting harder to maintain. He was quite certain it was just stress and that he'll get over it. Sayu had briefly worried about him when he voiced his feelings of worthlessness and bleak outlook of the world he had to pretend for. She thought he had depression, but kept quiet about it. He didn’t want either of his parents know her theories, because he was supposed to be perfect and he didn’t want to shatter the illusion. Light was beginning to feel like his body no longer belong to him; and he wondered if it ever truly had. 

  
L noticed that Light had gone strangely quiet again, but before he could say anything about it Light had spotted his mother getting out of a cab in front of their house.

  
Sachiko was back home and Light was glad to see her. When she left he had worried about her, since something had seemed so horribly off about her prior to leaving. That and Sayu seemed to be always looking at him with some sort sadness in her eyes; he was hoping his mother would know what to do about that. 

  
“Mom! You’re home,” greeted Light, smiling. “How was your trip?”

  
“It was fine,” replied Sachiko, she then looked to Light’s left, where L was standing oddly close. “Whose your… um… friend?”

  
“I’m Hideki Ryuuga,” answered L, who was subtly asking Light to lie to his own mother; Light wondered if this was another test or if it was for the safety of those involved in the Kira investigation.

  
“We met at the entrance ceremony,” said Light, simply; this didn’t expose L’s cover nor was he lying.

  
Light quickly grabbed his mother’s luggage so that he’d have an excuse to leave them, however briefly; both L and Sachiko stares felt like they were dissecting him. This left him feeling naked and he had to suppress a shudder. Light was so caught up in his own thoughts that he was surprised when L opened the door for him; he hadn’t noticed him running ahead of him. Before Light could cross the threshold L grabbed his wrist, halting his movements.

  
“Are you alright?” asked L, whispering in Light’s ear. 

  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” replied Light, turn his face away from him. L knew he was lying.

  
\---------

The other universe’s Light was situated in an upscale condo a few blocks away from Madame Trevi’s apartment. She had likely been to scrying for his general location, but just couldn’t pin-point it. He needed to get rid of this woman somehow, but he didn’t know her true name; even after his recent team up with B this had proven to be rather difficult. That white witch had apparent shielded her identity from the sight.

  
Trevi seemed to know what she was doing when she decided to track him down. Light knew that she was a dangerous threat due to knowledge, but her powers would always be weaker than that of any black witch. His search of the witch’s personal library been illuminating to say the least. Black witches would always be stronger than any white witch. He had a bond with a demon and was thereby blessed with their powers while Trevi, a white witch, had to rely on her own innate abilities alone. And Trevi would never be willing to put her soul on the line, but Light was.

  
_Flashback; Four Months Ago_

  
_Within his own universe Matsuda had shot Light repeatedly; twice in the lower torso, once in each shoulder and once in his right hand. He was now running away from the investigation team as Ryuk began writing his name in his personal notebook. Ryuk had finished the first ‘a’ when they both felt an unusual sensation; it was sort of like a painful static charge combined with slowly being disemboweled._

  
_Light had briefly woken up to an old woman standing over him with a face marred by confusion and worry. He saw that Gelus’s notebook and Ryuk had somehow appeared here with him. He had no idea where he was and was beginning to float in and out of consciousness. He remembers waking a few times once in an ambulance, and twice during surgery. Afterwards, he had woken up in a hospital ward, where he found the old women sitting a few feet away from him; she was faced away from Light and had Gelus’s notebook in her lap. She was currently conversing with Ryuk._

  
_“So you think the dark forces that you were using to return Madelyn’s sanity purposely screwed you over?” asked Ryuk, looking almost comical sitting next to this tiny, old woman, drinking tea._

  
_“I believe they purposely didn’t give me what I wanted,” elaborated Trevi. “Because I didn’t give them what they wanted.”_

  
_“Your soul,” guessed Ryuk._

  
_“Yes,” confirmed Trevi._

  
_“But why not?” asked Ryuk, confused. “It doesn’t cost you anything in regards to life.”_

  
_“But it costs eternal damnation in death,” rebutted Trevi, annoyed. “I made the mistake of convincing someone close to me to pay that price.”_

  
_There was a long uncomfortable silence that followed. Trevi truly regretted her actions, but she wasn’t ready to sacrifice her soul to some demon from some sort of Christian hell. She also certain that the demons collect than upon death, since their influence on their host would turn the purest of human into a complete and utter monster._

  
_“May I ask you why you are trying to help Madelaine?” asked Ryuk, curious. He moved closer to the woman. “Moments ago you were explaining how she was trying to kill you.”_

  
_“I feel guilty,” confessed Trevi, breaking eye contact with the shinigami; not because of revulsion due to the creature’s rotting stench entering her nostrils (though it was a contributing factor), but because of her shame over her selfish actions years ago. “She was my responsibility as a fellow witch and I led her astray. I wanted fame, so I convinced her to submit herself to the demon, Leviathan. Then when I tried to get her under control through various enchantments she tried to kill me,” she paused, reminiscing as she shakily touched the trachea scar. “When her powers were stripped from her so was her sanity, though her sanity may have been damaged long before that.”_

  
_“Wow, you’re kind of evil,” said Ryuk, cackling. “I like you.”_

  
_“Listen, I am trying to fix my mistakes as horrible as they may be,” argued Trevi, pain and anger entering her voice. Then with a hint of desperation she admitted. “I just don’t know how yet.”_

  
_“I think I could help,” said Light, announcing his return to consciousness to everyone; as well as the fact that he had been eavesdropping._

  
_“Really?” asked Trevi, in a challenging tone; there was also a hint of hope in there as well as wariness. “How?”_

  
_“The dark forces want a soul in exchange for power; I’m willing to go along with that deal,” explained Light, sounding as though he was being genuinely kind; Ryuk had to admit, he was a good actor. “You just have to teach me what you know and I’ll do whatever you ask.”_

  
_Trevi looked to be in deep thought. She knew trusting this young man was dangerous; he had fricking partnership of sorts with a death god. But she could feel that his soul was already ugly and corrupt, so it would be no big lost and when the time came she wouldn’t feel bad about disposing of him._

  
_“Alright, we have an agreement then,” agreed Trevi, with a fake smile._

  
_Thirteen Days Later_

  
_Trevi was shocked and a bit disturbed over how quickly Light had absorbed all the information she threw at him; it had taken her decades to learn all the stuff he had in last few days. He needed to be well-versed in magic for a deal with demons to take place; descensum and the following navigation of hell took a lot of knowledge and a lot of energy to do. And this man was taking to it like fire to straw. There was an innate evilness and cruelty to this man and he was showing to be both an intelligent and powerful witch; and this was before the deal. This was getting scary, but she had a duty to Madelaine, so she would deal with consequences afterward._

  
_Trevi watched as the ritual took place. They had decided on summoning Asmodeus for the deal. Asmodeus was a good match for Light, being a demon of lust; Light often used his looks and charisma to his advantage. The ritual was almost complete, the candles’ flames had turned black and the circle of runes drawn in blood had begun to burn the floor boards. Light was lying in the centre, unconscious as a dark shadow began to merge with his body. Some instinct in Trevi was telling her kill him right here and now; that later may be too late. She ignored it._

  
_Light had woken feeling surprisingly good; the demonology book Trevi and him had looked into had said that the merging was a painful, but it had been nothing pleasurable. Most of the pain was supposed to be the result of the soul becoming horribly deformed and corrupted; actually, it seemed as though Asmodeus found the experience more painful than him._

  
_“So I guess, I should get to restoring Madelaine’s mind and soul,” said Light, strutting towards Trevi with a cocky smirk on his face._

  
_“I would think so,” replied Trevi, leading Light to one of the bedrooms. “It’s the only reason we did all that to begin with.”_  
_Light decided that would keep his word and restore Madelaine’s mind. No point in making enemies needlessly._

  
_Entering the bedroom Light recognized this as the room where he crossed into this universe. Madelaine was sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the walls. Eyes that were oddly vacant were set in what was once a pretty face; deep scars marred the young woman’s delicate features._

  
_Trevi wanted to restore this woman’s mind, scoffed Light. What use was she? She didn’t have any influence, money, or wisdom? She wasn’t even pretty anymore._

  
_“We had agreement,” said Light, with a shrug as knelt down to be eye-level with Madelaine. He began the incantation; he felt the pieces of Madelaine’s mind and soul piece itself back together, it was almost too easy. The dark forces flowed through him effortlessly._

  
_After everything was fixed Madelaine had then begun crying hysterically; Light thought it was rather pathetic._

  
_“I’m so sorry,” said Madelaine between sobs, clutching her knees close to her chest. “I know… that I messed up… so, so horribly. Maiming you, killing Melody…”_

  
_“It’s alright now,” soothed Trevi, she then pushed past Light and pulled Madelaine into a tight embrace. “We’re still alive and Leviathan is gone.”_

  
_During this pitiful display of sentimentality, Light had taken the opportunity to grab the death note along with a few of Trevi’s books on magic and leave._

  
_End Flashback_

  
“I do that woman a favour and in return she decides dedicate her time to hunting me down,” said Light, fuming.

  
“You did yourself a favour,” corrected Ryuk, well-aware of his human’s manipulative nature. “And Trevi’s very similar, except she’s capable of feelings, such as remorse.”

  
“Firstly, I didn’t have to go through on my end of the deal,” argued Light, baring his teeth in anger. “And secondly, I preferred you when you were obfuscating stupidity.”  
  


Ryuk just grinned in self-satisfaction. As a god of death, he had very little to worry about. This whole scenario was just adding new elements to his favourite soap opera. Ryuk then watched as Light online at the current Kira attacks with a look of deep concentration on his face.

  
“These Kira killings are similar to my own timeline with only a few discrepancies, like the deaths of the members of the NPA,” said Light, thinking aloud. “But those deviations don’t make sense. Misora is still alive and you said that you saw that the other me was giving her information on being on the bus at the time. What the hell is he doing?” 

  
“Light Yagami has a life-span,” said B, announcing his presence. He had obviously been eavesdropping; Light honestly couldn’t wait to get rid of him, he just had to convince Misa to make the eye deal again, but this Rem was being more difficult by not offering it. It was strange how people seemed so similar yet so very different here, but really what can you expect from parallel dimensions. “There is no way he is Kira.”

  
This explained a lot, thought Light. For a second there I thought my doppelgänger was some sort of moron.

  
Still, that did nothing to help Light’s plans. For it to work he had to maintain a low profile, but apparently the Ryuk that resides in this universe had dropped Sidoh’s notebook earlier and therefore Kira had already started his pursuit of justice within weeks of Light’s arrival. Light himself had only used the death note once in this universe; to attain Misa’s loyalty. He never realized how much of an asset she and Takada truly were until he got caught by Near.

  
There was a particularly complex ritual in one of the magic books that once resided in Trevi’s home. The ritual would grant the caster immortality and therefore he’d be a true god. He already had the most difficult part over with by transitioning over to another reality. Now all he had to was set it up and get the other Light to ‘willing’ participate via the blackmail. The rules for the ritual were quite clear when they stated the victim couldn’t be physically forced or be threatened with death or physical harm on their person or persons close to them; threats to their reputation was the only viable solution. But he would now be under heavy surveillance for being a Kira suspect; therefore this put quite the snarl in his plans. 

  
“Damn! Who the hell is Kira if it isn’t me?” screamed Light, frustrated. “Who is he? How did he get ownership of a death note?”

  
“Well, Light-o,” replied Ryuk, munching on an apple. “Remember that I dropped note book at random for the first passer-by to pick up. Also, my alternate self seems to have gotten bored earlier than I did.”

  
“Would that have changed the drop location?” asked Light, as Ryuk just shrugged and resumed devouring his apple. Light went back to looking at his computer screen; he had broken into NPA database to observe their current files on the case. “It doesn’t matter. It’s either Takada or Mikami. That much is obvious; they’re probably working together. But why are the murders so similar to the ones that occurred when I was Kira?” As Light pondered his situation his eyes landed on Ryuk and realization hit. “RYUK! What did you do?”

  
“I made things more interesting,” replied Ryuk, completely unrepentant. 

  
“What did you do exactly?” asked Light, trying to keep his temper under control. He needed answers and screaming at a shinigami wouldn’t help provide those answers any faster.

  
“The other Ryuk and I decided to level the playing field,” explained Ryuk, helping himself to another apple. Light briefly wondered which Ryuk he was talking to and whether he’d be able to tell the difference. “The other death note users and Rem are aware of some of the events from the other universe and that you are making plans that involve this universe’s Light,” deciding to relax Ryuk laid back on Light’s bed. “But don’t worry Light-o, no one knows the specifics.”

  
“Don’t worry,” repeated Light, flustered. “You just screwed up everything.”

  
Light had begun to pace back and forth, uncertain on how he was going to fix this. He had almost entirely forgotten of B’s presence. Light was glad for that spell he had cast that left this crazy mass-murderer without any desire to kill him. And the only reason it even worked was, because this universe’s Light had the misfortune of meeting the psycho once before.

  
“Well, since the plan is a no-go can I just take L now?” asked B, with a sadistic grin. It was enough to make Light and Ryuk uncomfortable and they both hung around monsters on a daily basis.

  
“Where is L at the moment?” asked Light.

  
“With Light and his mother,” answered B, his smile unwavering. “I believe they were eating dinner. So can I go have some fun with my favourite brother and his friends? Or is it too soon still?”

  
“You’ll have to wait a little longer. If you act now you'll get caught. But this does provide me with the perfect opportunity to prove that my doppelgänger isn’t Kira,” said Light, thinking aloud on his new plan of action; even if it didn't work it would fulfill the conditions of the incubus ritual. “Would L really accuse a suspect whose mother just been killed? Would L think Light would let a majority of those killers get away with it if he was Kira?”

  
“Doesn’t this go against your own sense justice, Light-o?” asked Ryuk, taunting. “Killing the innocent. And letting the guilty go free.”

  
“Sacrifices have to be made,” answered Light, his voice portraying only a hint of regret.

  
\---------

  
“Sayu will be staying at a friend’s place for the night,” said Sachiko.

  
Sachiko had texted the friend’s mother a few hours earlier to make arrangements for a sleepover; she had planned for Light and her to be alone for this rather delicate conversation. Light’s friend had put quite the kink in those plans. 

  
“Okay, Mom,” replied Light, as he continued to cut the vegetables; he insisted on making the meal himself so that Sachiko could relax. 

  
“So, your exam score?” asked Sachiko, trying to make conversation with her son; she actually wondered when was last time they exchange more than a few words. “How did you do?” 

  
“Both Light-kun and I achieved perfect scores on the exam,” answered L before Light could; much to Sachiko’s frustration. 

  
“Well, that’s quite the accomplishment,” said Sachiko, smiling politely. “Well, Light, I’m so proud of you. And also congratulations to your frien-,” Sachiko stopped abruptly so that she could pull L’s feet off his seat. “No feet on the furniture!”

  
Light smirked before turning his attention back to cooking the food. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of hands settle of his shoulders. 

  
“Light, can we talk in private?” asked Sachiko, removing her hands as soon as she felt Light stiffen at her touch. “I have something important to discuss with you.”

  
“Will this take long?” asked Light.

  
“It might,” replied Sachiko. She knew she needed to get this out of the way before she lost her nerve. There were thoughts running through her head that suggested letting Light figure it out on his own; that hearing it from her wouldn’t make it any better and he probably wouldn’t her anyway until he faced that inevitable fact. But to do that wouldn’t be right.

  
“Ryuuga-san, can you watch over the food?” asked Light, as his mother led him out of the room.

  
“Sure, no problem,” muttered L, jumping to his feet.

  
Sachiko and Light stood out in the hallway. Both were oddly silent. Light was worried about why his mother had wanted to talk. Had she found the ruined clothes in the back of his closet? Light had planned on throwing them out on garbage day, but he couldn’t seem to be capable of touching them without getting horrible flashbacks.

  
Sachiko, on the other hand, was worried about telling Light of his heritage; saying that he wasn’t hers, that by being a kitsune he wasn’t welcome in his own realm, and that he would always have to be careful about who he gave his heart to.

  
It’s such a horrible thing for kitsunes to have their heart broken, and Sachiko thought that it was a truly despicable thing Inari did when creating them. That heart-break would literally shatter their soul in such a way so as to cause physical pain; a pain akin to being dipped in the River Styx and experiencing all the suffering of every tormented soul that ever was or will be.

  
At least that’s how Kuzunoha had described it and Sachiko had seen her suffer through that pain three times already; she doesn’t think she could mentally handle a fourth time. Looking at Light she couldn’t help but think of how fragile he was; probably incapable of handling it once. He wasn’t tough and she didn’t want him to be.

  
“Mom, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?” asked Light, concerned by his mother’s silence.

  
“Well, Light… I… uh,” sighed Sachiko, not knowing how to say this. “You are-”

  
Before anything more could be said there was a loud knocking on the front door. Sachiko went to answer it. There was an average looking, young man at the door and he seemed to be bleeding heavily from the left side of his head.

  
“Excuse me, ma'am,” greeted the wounded man, politely. “I don't want to bother you, but I'm hurt and needing some help.”  
“What happened to you?” asked Sachiko, bringing the young man inside.

  
“I-I was j-jumped by a mugger down at the corner,” stuttered the young man. “Your’s was the only house with lights on.”

  
“No need to explain yourself,” said Sachiko, reassuringly as she assisted the man into the sitting room. “We have a phone in the kitchen. We can call the police or an ambulance for you,” she then turned to Light. “Can you please close the door?”

  
Suddenly, the man collapsed, leaving Sachiko supporting the man’s entire weight. 

  
“Light, can you help me with this?” asked Sachiko, struggling; she was a very petite woman.

  
Light quickly shut the door, not taking the time to lock it. He then assisted Sachiko in carrying the man to a nearby chair. After setting him down Light runs to fetch the first aid kit and hurries back into the sitting room. Kneeling down in front of the injured man he begins wiping the blood off the man’s forehead.

  
Light quickly noticed something not right. The bleeding had no source; there’s no wound. It was becoming obvious the man had played the wounded gazelle. Before Light had a chance to say anything, he felt a knife enter his thigh.

  
As Light hit the floor, five other men rushed into the room. None of them were wearing masks, but seeing the sadistic expressions on their faces were somehow scarier.

  
“Just take anything you want,” said Sachiko, in a calm, placating tone, though her eyes were filled with fear. “Just don’t hurt us, please.”

  
“Oh, we're not here to rob you,” replied one of the other men, his icy blue eyes glinting with sadistic glee. While he was talking two of the men went into the kitchen. “We just want to have a bit of fun.”

  
There was a commotion in the kitchen. Light tried to push off of the floor, but then the man that had stabbed him had decided to kick him in the stomach, sending him back down.

  
L was then dragged into the room. He had immediately tried to fight off his captors, but then realized his chances weren’t good with two or more against one. L may be a vampire, but that came with only a bit better than average strength and agility along; it would only help him so far even with his healing factor, which didn’t lessen pain and still took time to work. So in the end, L decided it was best to co-operate (after kicking one of the men in the jaw). While they dragged him into the sitting room, he had clicked on the emergency call button on his belt. It would only be a matter of time before help arrived. 

  
“So guys who should we start with?” asked the blue-eyed captor.

  
“Probably pretty boy there,” suggested the man that had pretended to be injured. “He’s losing a lot of blood. We don’t want him to die before we had a chance to work on him.”

  
Light felt a set of arms pull him off the floor and then shoved him into one of the wooden kitchen chairs that one of the men had brought into the room. They then restrained him to the chair using plastic zip ties that were already cutting off circulation to his hands and feet. One of them had taken the knife from his thigh and stabbed him in the shoulder with it, pinning him to the chair. Looking up at the captors, he watched as the blue-eyed one filled a syringe with drain cleaner; one of them noticed his fearful gaze and smiled.

  
“As much as we might want to hear your screams, we also don’t want you alerting the neighbors,” explained the blue-eyed captor, as he injected the drain cleaner into Light’s throat.

  
The injection area where the voice box was and Light felt a horrible burning sensation. He gasped in pain, but very little sound came out and the movement only caused his throat to throb even more. One of the captors, who had a stockier build than the others, had hit him. The hits didn’t end with one, and at some point he had swapped from using his fists to using a heavy cane. 

  
There were abrasions all over Light’s face, chest and arms, and he had spat up both blood and teeth. Light knew if he got out of this situation alive, he certainly wouldn’t be considered pretty. Looking at his mother’s horrified face Light lowered his head in shame; though that wasn't the only reason, he was beginning to feel weak and he was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. He was losing blood fast. He felt as though he was going to die just from his current injuries alone. And he was scared.

  
“He not really responding anymore,” complained the stocky captor, as he began using a pocket knife to flay the skin of Light’s right cheek.

  
“The kid is probably not going to last much longer,” said the blue-eyed captor, pulling the knife out of Light’s shoulder; cutting more flesh in the process. “Let’s move on to the old broad and allow this one to succumb to his injuries.”

  
“I call dibs on the little lady,” said the captor standing closest to L. He approached Sachiko with an almost comically wide grin. “Name’s Takuo Shibuimaru. And we’re going to have some fun.”

  
Shibuimaru then dragged Sachiko towards where Light was. Light’s restraints were then cut and a few of the captors began binding his wrists and ankles together. Sachiko also had her wrist and ankles bound. While lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, Light started to feel something strange. Like his body was changing somehow.

  
Sachiko could feel that some of Light’s kitsune abilities had awaken early in an attempt to save his life. Her thoughts were broken off by the pain caused by the drain cleaner before having her clothes roughly stripped off of her. She wanted to escape this situation so badly, but her talents consisted mostly of cooking, sewing, and being able to transform into a cat. That last one might be useful if it didn’t take an hour to do. How does her mother make it look so damn easy?

  
Before anything went any further, all six captors had become engulfed in flames. Sachiko felt sick to her stomach as the smell of cooking flesh entered her nostrils. L approached her with a pair of scissors to cutting away the bindings before moving to Light.

  
Light was somehow still conscious and was coldly staring at the burning bodies with ruby coloured eyes. When Sachiko started stumbling towards them he looked up at her with concern in his now honey coloured eyes. After L had finished cutting the bindings from his wrists, he reached out for her. As Sachiko approach her son a pain in her chest caused her to collapse.

  
Light crawled over to his mother and checked her pulse; there wasn’t one. He had then began applying CPR. He knows that CPR alone didn’t often work and hoped that L would call an ambulance, since Light currently lacked a voice to do that. He cringed when he felt a rib crack as he pushed on the chest. Light felt a spark of hope when the paramedics arrived; they quickly took over and carried her off in the ambulance. 

  
\---------

  
L was more than a little confused by what happened. He was almost certain that Light had caused the fire, but that action didn’t seem like Kira’s usual move. And even if it was it should’ve only worked on Takuo Shibuimaru, who had survived along with four others. Only Sachiko Yagami and Genbu Sakota had died.

  
Sakota didn’t state his name; unless, Kira only needed a face. L’s thoughts went back to BB and the shinigami eyes; Light’s eyes would occasionally look red. 

  
But then, why would Light’s mother die from cardiac arrest? Why not Takuo Shibuimaru? thought L, confused. Was Light legitimately not Kira? Or was he trying to throw off suspicion? Kira is likely to be willing to kill his own family. But is Light willing to do that?

  
Still, Light Yagami was one of his only viable suspects and L knew there was something hidden about him; something dangerous. L watched from his position by the front door as a few of his private people collected various forensics samples from the crime scene. Light appeared to be in shock, though when anyone asked him questions he’d try to answer them; managing a few garbled syllables before touching his damaged throat. L was beginning to think that Light should have gone to the hospital, but he wasn’t priority at the time so his injuries were overlooked.

  
Suddenly L was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his phone ringing; he quickly answered it.

  
“Sachiko Yagami has just been declared dead,” informed Watari, his voice crackled slightly due to bad reception. “I am on my way back to headquarters. Would you like me to pick you up?”

  
“Yes,” replied L, before over at Light; many of his injuries had healed quite rapidly. His good looks would not be irreparably tarnished and his voice seems to be slowly returning; if he is Kira then he experienced personal loss from this gambit. “Light-kun will be coming with us.”

  
As L hung up the phone, he noticed that Light was staring blankly at the wall. There was blood, sweat and snot trailing down his face. L went into the bathroom and dampened a cloth. He then headed back to where Light was still sitting on the bottom steps of the porch. L leaned in to wipe some blood and snot off, but as soon as he touched Light’s face, the teenaged boy flinched and moved away from L quickly. 

  
“I was just clearing off the dirt to see the severity of your injuries,” explained L, his voice sounding more tender than he really meant it to. “So can I?”

  
Light nodded. L touched the dampen cloth to his bloodied face. L took the time to observe the kid’s healing time; it may determine what he is or what sort of deal he has with whom. The skin underneath the blood was heavily bruised and his nose was still bleeding; the same nose that had been repeatedly broken earlier and was now perfectly straight. The skin that ran across his cheekbone had regrown and appeared to be completely flawless. L pushed Light’s bottom lip down and examined the teeth; they were growing back and L highly doubted they were all baby teeth. Light had lost a total of eleven teeth and they were all growing back; the front teeth were coming in quicker than the back ones.

  
Upon re-evaluation, Light appeared to be healing from the outside in; from most visible to least. L was now ninety-six percent certain that Light was a creature that prided themselves on appearance and it was likely one their most important tools. 

  
Light began shivering uncontrollably even though he was still sweating profusely. 

  
“Light, are you alright?” asked L, taking off his own jacket and putting it on Light.

  
Light nodded, numbly. 

  
L was so focused on Light he didn’t notice Watari. Though, to be fair, the old man was quite stealthy despite his age.

  
“Ryuzaki, is everything alright?” asked Watari, concerned both for his young ward and for the current Kira suspect. He knew L had gone too deep into this investigation to not get hurt. And as for Light Yagami, he may not be Kira and he had already gone through a lot of trauma tonight and he was likely to go through more. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Yagami.”

  
L was briefly taken aback when Light didn’t make a big show over losing his mother to garner sympathy. He bowed his head in acknowledgement and went back to staring straight ahead; it was unnerving.

  
“Well, I’m here to take you both back to headquarters,” explained Watari to Light as he guided him to the car. L hopped in the other side as Watari closed the door for Light. They then headed back to headquarters.

  
Meanwhile, Ryuk stood in the Yagami household. He was pleasantly surprised to find this version of Light was a kitsune. Also the chaos that just occurred was quite exciting.

  
No matter what his Light might say, this did not go according to plan. He remembered what Light had written;  
  


_Genbu Sakota - Convinces the other members of his bike gang to go break into a house, where they assault the inhabitants  
on 04/05/20. He then dies in a motorcycle accident when fleeing the scene._  
  
_Sachiko - Dies from the wounds inflicted during a break and enter on 04/05/20._  


Since kitsune!Light had accidently lit all the gang members on fire, this scenario was impossible; so those whose names were written had succumbed to cardiac arrest. 

  
Ryuk was impressed that the kitsune hadn’t killed anyone with all that fire; the fire was actually pretty impressive. There was also the conflict between L and BB as well as the breaking of rule XXXVI; a rule, which states, ‘There are male and female gods of death, but it is neither permitted, nor possible for them to have sexual relations with humans. The gods of death also cannot have sex with each other’. Ryuk was quickly finding this new universe to be very entertaining. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madame Trevi in this fanfiction is getting prone to almost destroying the world every now and then. Truthfully, the Trevi Collection was my favorite Night Stalker episode and I have this fan theory that Trevi is a witch as well (albeit, a less powerful one). The basis for it has to do with when Madelaine tries to kill Madame Trevi by tying a lock of hair around a doll's neck (it makes more sense in context). So while confided to a hospital bed, Trevi is able to locate where the doll is so Kolchak can retrieve it. Madelaine then demonstrates a similar ability when she tells Kolchak where to find a shoebox full checks proving extortion in the fashion industry.
> 
> I had to make a reference to the scene, in episode 19 of the anime, where L gives Mogi a strawberry to keep quiet about L being the world's 3 greatest detectives. Moji then puts the strawberry in his pocket (it was too funny to ignore and Light had to one up it).
> 
> Madelaine Perkins and Melody Sedgwick are characters that appeared on Kolchak; The Night Stalker. Episode 14; The Trevi Collection. The former was a black witch and the latter was one of her victims.
> 
> Takuo Shibuimaru and Genbu Sakota are characters from Death Note. The former is from the anime and the latter is from the tv drama. They both are Kira's 2nd victim in their respective shows and were both dead within the 1st episode.


	11. Anxiety Inducing Shower Thoughts

It was several minutes later when Watari finally pulled up in front of headquarters. L was uncertain of the precise time due to keeping a close eye on Light; the teenager’s skin had paled considerably (contrasting heavily with the dark bruises) and his eyes appeared glassy. The kid was obviously going through a lot of mental trauma. Still, regardless of the circumstances, L had to be absolutely certain that Light wasn’t Kira before he could drop him as a suspect, even though he was almost positive that this was no act on Light’s part.

L was actually feeling genuine concerned for Light and that was beginning to scare him; he knew better than to let a suspect this close. He quickly pushed those feelings aside; L had to continue this investigation with a clear head, unobstructed by emotions. There’s no room for sympathy. 

L couldn’t completely clear Light from the list of suspects. There were so many other unanswered questions and possibilities. Light was the only one on the bus that Raye Penber was investigating, so why would any of the other two suspects kill him? He still didn’t believe Yuri was a suspect, since Light invited her on the bus; meaning that left too many out of her control. But Light as a suspect was strange as well. Raye Penber had cleared him as a suspect prior to his death. And Light’s mother dying went against Kira’s current modus operandi. Could Sachiko dying from heart complications be a coincidence? Was it natural? Or was it Kira? And if so, why? Was it because Soichiro was on the investigation team? And does that mean that Genbu Sakota and Sachiko were being controlled prior to death? But Kira had targeted only the FBI agents; not their families. Why the change?

Uh, all these convoluted strategies and plays were giving him a headache. L rubbed at his throbbing temples. There had to be some sort of plan here and it had likely gone wrong somewhere. 

Was there more than one person with Kira’s powers? And if so which ones are doing which killings? Light could still potentially be one of the Kiras then. And if he is could he be the only one to possess cellular regenerative abilities and pyrokinesis? If so, then that may explain the inconsistencies. A second Kira was trying to kill the first along with his family. But then again, why were most of them still alive?

L had a nagging feeling that none of his questions would be answered tonight and that all of his current hypotheses were wrong in some way or another. Well, he certainly had a long list of questions for Soichiro and while he seemed to be the most honest person in the Yagami family there was something he was definitely hiding. L could see that the man’s secrets were weighing heavily on him. L was actually beginning to worry about the old man’s declining health and Sachiko death would certainly not help matters. And the fact that Light’s mental health was very much in question as well; that hundred yard stare was starting to creep him out.

“Light-kun,” said L, nudging the teenager’s arm when he continued to remain oblivious as Watari opened the door on his side. “It’s time to get out.”

Light looked around confused, seeming to only just now click in that they had come to a stop.

“We’re at headquarters,” answered L, as he shoved Light out the door before getting out himself; being careful not to step on Light, who had fallen in a rather undignified heap on the concrete.

Watari quickly moved to help Light up; he was surprisingly spry for such an old man. L felt a little bad about causing Light to fall, but he didn’t expect the younger man to be so disoriented. Then again, all things considered it shouldn’t have been such a surprise. 

Light tried to croak out a ‘thank you’ to Watari, as the old man pulled him to his feet. Light hissed out in pain; it felt like the outside of his left foot was on fire and he didn’t think it was due to the fall. This was quickly forgotten as he caught sight of headquarters. 

Why is L renting a studio apartment here? thought Light, confused. Wouldn’t the other residents here wonder why there are gatherings of several men at his apartment every day? He might be confused for a drug dealer or something? That’s not really a great why of staying off Kira’s radar.

“I purchased the whole compound until another building can be built,” explained L, as he led Light towards the building. Light briefly wondered whether he was simply that easy to read or if L was a mind-reader. “Watari said it would be simpler and less conspicuous than moving from hotel room to hotel room.”

Light croaked in agreement, even though he was now concerned about an L without a Watari; the old man drove for him, mentored him, and according to Light’s father, cooked for him. A frightening thought then occurred. 

SAYU! I don’t know where she is! thought Light, panicking when he couldn’t find his phone. I don’t want her coming home to find a crime scene. I need to find her!

L watched helpless as Light tried to communicate with him; only managing a few pained sounds that couldn’t even be considered words. At least, this confirmed that L couldn’t read Light’s mind; that was both a relief and a bit disappointing. Light made a note to learn a sign language or two; he’d probably start with BSL (British Sign Language) or something like that. So giving up on trying to vocalize his thoughts, Light looked around before spotting a piece of chalk next to a fifty-two square hop-scotch game. Using the chalk Light wrote;

_Where’s Sayu? Mom said she was at a sleep-over, but didn’t specify where._

“It’s alright, Mr. Yagami,” replied Watari, adjusting his glasses. “I grabbed your mother’s phone from the personal belongings box,” Watari then rest his hand on Light’s shoulder in a comforting gesture; he noted how he initially flinched, but then began to relax under the touch. “I’ll look into the call history and find out where your sister is. Then in the morning I’ll have her brought here.”

Light nodded in agreement, even though he didn’t want Watari (and by extension, L) to have access to his mother’s phone. It felt oddly invasive. It was still better than his phone; he didn’t like the idea of L browsing through his internet history. It took a few moments of concentration to remember that he had left his phone on the counter next to the stove. Light then realized that it was likely that either L had it or one of his associates had it and that it was only a matter of time before he had it thoroughly searched.

Still, regardless of the lost phone, Light felt a little better knowing that the rest of his family was safe; though now that he felt safe he felt like he was going to cry. His mother was gone. She had raised him and supported him and had taught him so many important life skills. Like good study habits, cooking, sewing… he used to love mending and creating different garments with her. This may be even one of the reasons he liked being around Madam Trevi so much. The last time he had done any of that with his mother was over four years ago; prior to starting high school. 

How had they grown so far apart in recent years? thought Light, regretfully. I want my Mom back. I was cheated out of so much time with her; time that both Sayu and I still need.

Light could feel the sobs that threatened to burst forth; his chest felt so tight it hurt. But he still had his pride, therefore he decided that he could wait until he was alone to give into the instinct to curl up and cry.

\---------

While this was happening Matsuda had been about to step outside. He was about to make a coffee run; he truly hated how everyone treated him like an over-paid intern. When he was about to exit the building he was stopped by his mother’s ghostly hand. Matsuda’s mother had died while giving birth to him, but she had never left his side; she was the only one, at least, until recently. While growing-up he had been shipped off to different family members’ households; never staying more than a year with any of them. No one really wanted anything to do with him and had all but been disowned when he turned eighteen; he had truly never understood why. It wasn’t until he met the Chief that he felt like he mattered to anyone who was living.

So while Matsuda had never truly spent a considerable amount of time with Soichiro’s wife and children, he already felt as though they were his family. The Chief was the only one who ever talked to him with any fondness or respect, and even though he still reprimanded on occasion he never treated like he was somehow defective as a human-being. Though the Chief still refused to acknowledge Matsuda’s claims of being able to see spirits; the last time he had tried to talk with him about it he had been told it was best to keep quiet about such things. Matsuda did follow the older man’s advice in regards to keeping his interactions with the dead a secret from the living.

Looking at his mother, he watched her hands signal him to look out the window. Matsuda followed his mother’s advice, and looked out the window just left of the front door. He saw that Ryuzaki and Watari were back and that they had brought Light with them. Matsuda then did a double take as he took in the teen’s disheveled appearance and heavily bruised face.

What the hell happened?! thought Matsuda, both worried and very, very confused. The Chief is going to be so pissed with Ryuzaki, if he did this.

Matsuda watched as Watari led the teenager toward the building before running back to where the other task force members were, deciding that he should alert the Chief. He almost slipped on the floor, but his mother balanced him back on to his feet.

“Matsuda, what did you forget this time?” groaned Aizawa, annoyed by his fellow detective’s stupidity. Here he was working on the case as he waited for his mocha latte and the idiot just continued to dart in and out of the room forgetting his keys or some shit like that. 

“Ryuzaki and Watari are back and they brought Light with them,” answered Matsuda, without looking back into the room, but Soichiro now noticed Matsuda’s worried expression.

“What do you mean by ‘they brought light’?” asked Aizawa, who was wondering if Matsuda had finally achieved a new level of stupidity.

“Light is the Chief’s son,” explained Matsuda, knowing that only he, Misora, and possibly Mogi had ever met Soichiro’s son in person.

Truth be told, everyone in the department may have already known of Soichiro’s kid as a genius and occasional NPA employee, but not many had ever gotten to know him on a personal level. Not enough to remember or even bother asking for his name; he was mostly known as simply the Chief’s son.

“Really, Chief? You named your son Light,” criticized Aizawa, before pulling up the Yagami family file; investigating your boss had it benefits, but Aizawa still often thought it to be rather weird. “And here I thought his name was Tsuki… Oh, wait, there’s a furigana. Okay, well, apparently when written it uses the Japanese kanji for Moon, but has the English pronunciation for Light. Who names their offspring like that? That’s weird.”

“Can you just shut your mouth, Aizawa?” muttered Ide, irritably; he was honestly fed up Aizawa’s attitude. Ide understood there was a lot of tension with the Kira investigation and that Aizawa had been experiencing problems at home. But that didn’t mean Ide had to constantly put up with the man’s behavior or anyone else’s. “You have been instigating fight after fight and now you want to start one with the Chief. Well, the Chief is not Matsuda, so you may want to reconsider your actions.”

“Thanks for the support, Ide,” said Matsuda, sarcastically before sighing in exasperation. “I get absolutely no respect from anyone.”

“Maybe if you weren’t such a moron-” began Aizawa before being cut off by another reprimand by Ide. This led to what was about twelfth argument this week.

“Uh, I’m done with this,” said Ukita, moving towards the door. He stopped at the doorway and turned towards Matsuda. “You stay, I’ll go get coffee. I’ll be back in about a half hour… maybe.” 

Soichiro focused on taking deep, calming breaths as he pinched the bridge of nose in frustration. There’s less than ten people on the Kira and yet none of them could get along. Either their people were fighting amongst each other or they were leaving the investigation for indeterminate amounts of time; their chances of solving the Kira case weren’t looking good if things continued deteriorating like this. For the last month, Kira supporters had been growing, and the stress and close working quarters was getting to them all. It seemed to be bringing out the worst in all of them.

Soichiro understood all that. He hadn’t exactly been at his best lately either. There was just so much speculation on his son and it was stressful, and the only way he could deal with it was by distancing himself from his son. Soichiro wanted to believe in his son’s innocence, but truthfully he wasn’t certain how well he knew Light. Between the two of them bonding has never been easy; Soichiro was always too busy and Light too independent and stubborn. Still, whether his Light was proven to be Kira or not, he knew that he had failed his son as a parent by not being there. But it was so hard to look into his son’s eyes and see the hurt and distrust that resided there.

“Matsuda,” said Soichiro, warily beckoning the younger detective over. “Why did Ryuzaki bring Light here?

“I don’t know, Chief,” replied Matsuda, nervously as he realized how this may affect Soichiro as well as his lack of information; he looked over to his mother while she shrugged her shoulders in reply. “But your son appeared to be quite injured… possibly by Ryuzaki… and I, um… thought you deserved to know that.”

A flash of anger flashed across Soichiro’s features, but he quickly pushed it down. He’d wait until he could look into the situation for himself and come to his own conclusion. Still Matsuda looked very concerned as Soichiro bolted out of the apartment. Ide and Aizawa just looked at him confused, since they had obviously not paid attention to the conversation prior to the argument nor to the one during due to their argument. 

“And they call me stupid,” muttered Matsuda, making several gestures as his eyes looked off into what looked to be empty space to everyone else. “At least, I have some awareness of what is going on.”

Soichiro decided against commenting. He had other things to worry about; his son might have been taken into custody, where he will be questioned and possibly brutalized. And while Soichiro didn’t like L methods, he was also uncertain of Light’s innocence. This was truly one of the most terrifying situations for a parent to be in.

All noise seemed to cease as Soichiro burst into the room. He saw that Light was sitting on a medical table; Soichiro briefly wondered why or how that was there. All thoughts were immediately overshadowed when he caught sight of the deep bruising on Light’s face and neck, and the blood soaked clothes that were partially covered up by L’s overly large jacket. And as to why Light was wearing L’s jacket Soichiro didn’t know, but that didn’t really matter at the moment; his son was hurt and someone had some explaining to do.

“RYUZAKI! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON?” yelled Soichiro, grabbing L roughly by his shirt. Light had never seen his father this angry and it was surprisingly scary.

“Mr. Yagami, there is no need for such aggression, so please calm yourself,” requested Watari, politely. “We have a fair bit to discuss with you.”

Before Watari could provide Soichiro with a delicate explanation of his wife’s recent passing, L interrupted; displaying very little tact. 

“There was a home invasion at your place of residence several hours ago. Your son was injured during the attack and your wife died,” explained L, bluntly. “The attackers had burst into flames. Only one of the attackers had died; his heart stopped. This is also something your wife had succumbed to, as well. I suspect it was caused by Kira.”

“Sachiko is dead,” said Soichiro, his grip going slack in shock. “And you are only telling me this now?”

“I apologize, but I was rather preoccupied,” replied L. “And really what would you have done other than pointlessly running off to the hospital. You couldn’t have prevented Sachiko-chan’s death simply by being there.”

“Pointlessly,” repeated Soichiro, with barely contained hostility. “How dare you? You have denied me my final moments with her and-”

“You wouldn’t have gotten that time anyway.”

Before Soichiro had a chance to reply, Watari interrupted. Soichiro was hurt and angry, and L was… being L. Watari knew he needed to seriously diffuse the situation before someone got hurt.

“Listen, Mr. Yagami. Ryuzaki may not be entirely right is this scenario,” interrupted Watari, in a placating tone. “But there was nothing you could have done. And at no point did she regain consciousness after her initial collapse,” Watari noticed how Light winced at his statements; the teenager seemed to be experiencing a bunch of misplaced guilt over his mother’s death. “I am sincerely sorry for your lost, Mr. Yagami, but I have to take a look at your son’s injuries. So I can’t have you and Ryuzaki fighting.”

Soichiro exhale loudly through his nose as he loosened his grip on L’s shirt. He and Watari then assisted Light in removing his jacket followed by his shirt. He was glad it was one of his button-down shirts, because Light could clearly not raise his arms without severe discomfort.

Looking at Light’s bared torso there was definitely some broken ribs. Watari was very quick and thorough with his examination; he became unnerved when one of Light’s broken ribs snapped back into place of its own accord. Light gasped out in pain; his voice wasn’t very loud, but it sounded clearer and less strained. That was good, at least.

When Watari gave Light a decongestant and numbing medication for his nose, the teenager looked at the old man confused.

“I’m going to do a direct fiber-optic laryngoscopy,” explained Watari, while Light cringed. “So that requires sending a scope up your nose and down into your throat.”

“Why does he need this done?” asked Soichiro, as watched Watari prep Light for the procedure.

“He had drain cleaner injected into his voice box and I’m going to see what damage had been done in the area around there,” explained Watari, as he inserted the laryngoscope; Light was having difficulty in suppressing the urge to gag. “Well, it looks like he is healing up quite nicely. He should be all mended by tomorrow, which is unusually fast. But still that’s a good thing. Right, Mr. Yagami?”

“Of course it is,” said Soichiro, defensively; he didn’t want his son to suffer permanent injuries, but he also didn’t want him drawing unnecessary attention to himself. People fear what they don’t understand and the innocent suffer for it. He had to witness that suffering once before and had vowed to never let that to happen again.

Soichiro was drawn out of those thoughts when he heard Light’s gagging as Watari removed the laryngoscope. It was a very gross and painful sound and he couldn’t help, but winced in sympathy. Soichiro reached out and pushed Light’s hair out of his face. It was supposed to be a comforting gesture, so Soichiro was taken aback by the flash fear that briefly appeared in Light’s eyes. Before Soichiro could ask him about it, L had decided to interrupt them at that moment.

“Is Light-kun adopted?” asked L, insensitively. Light was quite different from the rest of his family, and so L needed to know how and why; adoption was the most simple solution to those questions. And the most simple solutions were always the first to either be confirmed or ruled-out when in the search for answers. Also a lack of a familial connection may have aided his suspect in this gambit; in order to do something so cold-blooded.

When L asked that question, Light could already guess what he was doing, but he was still thrown off by the inappropriateness of it. Light had heard many people asked that same question before, but they’d never done it with him in the room and most certainly not after suffering from a traumatic event like this.

Light knew L wasn’t really his friend, but for most of the day Light had started to feel like he was, so it was quite jarring when he went back to treating him like a suspect. And he was upset that L was doing this just after his mom had died. Does he think I’m responsible for it? That just because I’m not related to her through blood that I’d just kill her in cold-blood?

Meanwhile, Soichiro’s own face contorted in anger.

“No, he isn’t, and even if he was it wouldn’t matter,” replied Soichiro through gritted teeth. “Why would you even ask a question like that? Do you honestly think this is a good time to be doing this?”

Before L had a chance to respond Watari interrupted before the situation could escalate. He was uncertain of what L’s intentions were by prodding a grieving father and son with such sensitive questions. And by looking at Soichiro, Watari could safely say it was the equivalent of poking a sleeping bear.

“Mr. Yagami, you can take the rest of tonight and tomorrow off,” said Watari, gently. He and L shared a look before continuing. “You’ll need to work on funeral arrangements. And of course, you’ll want time off to sort out your grief.”

L sighed in defeat; he had pushed far worse boundaries before, but Watari was insisting on exercising caution here. He didn’t know why his guardian was acting like this, but he’d find out.

“Watari, can you take Light-kun upstairs to room seven? He’ll probably want to rest,” he turned back to Soichiro. “I’m going to conduct a more thorough examination of your house, so I’ll be providing a room for your family to stay in for the meantime.”

\---------

Light didn’t realize how exhausted he was until he managed to climb into bed. He was only vaguely aware of Watari’s presence it was only when he started to sing that Light furrows his brows in concentration. It was an oddly familiar tone, even outside of recognizing it as ‘Optimistic Voices’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

♪“You’re out of the woods, you’re out of the dark, you’re out of the night,”♪ Watari sings; Light found it soothing, though most would likely find it creepy. ♪“Step into sun, step into the light. Keep straight ahead for the most glorious place on the face of the Earth and the sky. Hold onto your breath, hold onto your heart, hold onto your hope.”♪

Light doesn’t really have time to analyze the familiarity of the tune Quillish was singing before drifting off into a deep sleep.

_Start of Light’s Dream_

_Light was standing on the balcony an apartment somewhere in Tokyo. Or at least he thought it was Tokyo; there was a magenta coloured fog that obscured any sort of recognizable landmark. As he moved to go inside he caught sight of his reflection; the fox ears were back._

_“Seriously,” groaned Light, pulling at his now reoccurring ear problem; he thought this was an issue that only occurred in anime. Well, at least it’s only a dream; though it’s still plenty weird. “I’m going to have to suffer through this again.”_

_With no other option than to maybe jump off the twelfth story, which was oddly tempting, Light entered the apartment’s spacious living room. The place’s layout was open concept, so when he saw Kiyomi Takada he was able to duck out of sight behind the kitchen counter._

_Honestly, the conversation he had with L earlier today (or was it yesterday by now) had him feeling rightfully paranoid. It was making him consider that he could actually be entering other people's subconscious mind through dreams; it wasn’t really such an outrageous possibility, since there was a killer out there that was using people’s names and/or faces to kill them. So when he saw Takada he decided to hide so as to avoid any potentially awkward scenarios._

_Light felt like he was intruding when Takada began crying. This was not a good situation. Why were his dreams like this now? It didn’t make sense. Unless whenever his life was in danger these powers spiked or unlocked or something._

_Before Light could further evaluate his situation, the world around him began to crumble and peel. Words had then begun carving themselves into the walls near Takada. Light crawled over to the opposite end of the counter to get a better look._

_To Takada’s right the words read, ‘That bitch. Saeko Nishiyama doesn’t deserve her position as anchorwoman’. The words above her read, ‘I, as a true journalist, get overlooked in favour of her. Nishiyama got where she is by lying on her back’. And finally the words to her left simply read, ‘Demegawa is a pig’._

_Light whole-heartedly agree with that last statement. Takada worked as a newscaster at Sakura TV. Light remembered her mentioning on their first date how she was totally dedicated to journalism and how she will be in line for promotion soon. Well, that obviously hadn’t happened in the time since then._

_Still Light was rather confounded by the fact that Takada was mostly ignoring Demegawa in favour for insulting Nishiyama. These words were most likely her thoughts; and a majority of these thoughts that were scattered throughout the room were mainly centered on Nishiyama being a bitch or whore. Though if Light was honest with himself he may be a bit bias; he really wanted to butcher Demegawa like the pig he is. The image of Demegawa hanging from a meat hook with his guts hanging out made him smile. This revenge fantasy had also grown to include Shibuimaru and the rest of his gang._

_Light had to forcibly push the disturbing imagery out of his mind; it was times like this that he actually managed scare himself. He didn’t want to ever stoop to becoming a cold-blooded killer; he was better than that. But it was getting harder to keep a clear moral compass. If Kira hadn’t attacked the police, Light would have to agree with the tyrant’s stance on creating a perfect world by eradicating the scum of the Earth. But Light wasn’t about to side with a tyrant and he refused to sink to the level of corruption inflicted upon him by those pieces of filth. He was not going to let them damage him._

_Light had been telling himself things like this for a while now and he was starting believe it less and less. He kept experiencing trauma after trauma and he didn’t know how much more he could take. Why did he have to be here? He didn’t have the emotional energy to tackle his own problems, so why did he have to hear about his ex-girlfriend’s._

_As he was thinking this, Light watched as more thoughts etched themselves into every other available surface in the apartment. The sentence etched into the linoleum in front of him read, ‘I give my all for the sake of truth and justice, and I thought he felt the same way.’ Another appeared on the cabinets above him, reading, ‘Mikami refuses to use the book for personal gain. Well, he only has this power, because I wanted the eyes without losing half my life.’ Then under that he read, ‘I could have kept the book for myself; my ex-boyfriend was the only one to notice it falling from the sky… not that he remembers.’_

_Light had to admit that he was beginning to question Takada’s mental stability; or maybe he was simply questioning his own, if it turned out this was solely his dream. Still that last statement got his attention. The memory of how he and Takada broke-up was patchy at best, but he could vaguely remember there being a nasty argument that centered on Shiori. He also remembered that for some reason he had thrown something at Takada in a fit of anger; that was probably not the best way of ending a relationship._

_These thoughts were quickly cut-off when he felt a sharp pain run through his temples. His vision had briefly flashed red and he could feel blood dripping down the right side of his face; his right ear had started bleeding profusely._

_Suddenly, horrific images assaulted his mind; the sensation it gave was painful and resonated throughout his entire body. The images flashed by so quickly he barely had time to comprehend them; the first was of a black book, the second had leather-clad, clown monster, the third had Matsuda shooting at him, and the rest were too fast and blurry to understand._

_Finally, the images came to a halt._

_Light found himself stumbling into a dark, candle-lit room. There was a circle drawn in the middle of the room; it looked like it was drawn in blood. In the middle of the circle sat a young man on his knees, completely naked; his head was bowed and shadows obscured his face from view. Looking up, Light quirked his head to the side in confusion. There was a dismembered head… that was somehow levitating. The blood pouring from its neck was splatting down onto the young man’s exposed flesh. Light moved around the edge of the circle ‘til he was staring into the dismembered head’s eyes; it was his mother’s face that was looking back._

_Before Light had a chance to react he was pulled back into Takada’s mind; where he was still sitting on the kitchenette floor. He let out a few distressed whines as he tried to fully comprehend what he had seen. Had someone truly desecrated his mother’s body in the real world?_

_“What are you doing here?!” called out Takada, making Light jump before noticing that there was another presence in the room._

_The new-comer was nothing, but a shadow; kind of like Matt was from the other dream he had. Light was beginning to wonder why he couldn’t observe certain people in these dreams; he figured the only way to learn this stranger’s identity, and that is to listen to their interactions. So curiosity getting the best of him, Light wiped the tears from his eyes and crawled closer; he was now situated under the dining room table. The new-comer was quite soft-spoken, and it was difficult to listen in; Light finally understood Sayu’s complaints when she was eavesdropping on him._

_“I missed you,” whispered the stranger, in a husky voice._

_“That’s all you have to say after four months,” said Takada, angrily. Then after a deep sigh she continued in a softer tone. “You broke my heart.”_

_So this person was an ex-boyfriend of Takada’s, thought Light. This may prove to be important information. If this man had truly desecrated my mother’s corpse then it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume he killed her as well; this either means he either is Kira or possesses powers like Kira’s._

_Light shrugged off those thoughts for now, and resumed eavesdropping._

_“Do you really think that I’m the same man that broke up with you?” asked the stranger, as he softly caressed Takada’s shoulder. A flicker of comprehension crossed Takada's face._

_“No,” replied Takada, breathless. She then seemed to regain some of her common sense back. “You’re the guy Ryuk told me and Mikami about, aren’t you?”_

_“Yes,” answered the stranger. Before he could say anything further Takada slapped him hard across the face._

_Well, it seemed like Takada was pretty pissed off at this stranger. Still Light himself frowned as he concentrated on what that conversation meant. Takada knew who this man was due to having a relationship, but she had to ask for confirmation on whether he is the man she heard of through someone named Ryuk. This just left him with more questions than answers like;_

_Who was Ryuk? And what are his ties to Mikami, Takada and this stranger? Why was there so much miscommunication between parties? Ryuk, as their connection, had to know everything that was happening? Was he withholding information from both Kira and these renegade Kiras? Wasn’t he worried about retribution? Was he that powerful or just plain stupid?_

_“It was only after losing you that I realized how mistaken I was,” continued the stranger. Takada’s glare softened as she latched onto his every word; Light rolled his eyes in exasperation as he watched her falling for this bullshit. “Let me make it up to you.”_

_The stranger had then leaned in for a kiss that Takada was more than happy to accept. Light actually felt mildly disgusted as he watched how easy it was for him to manipulate a person like this; it wasn’t just morally questionable, but the dialogue itself was just so damn corny it was pain inducing._

_Light was now even more confused as he thought over their conversation; apparently the stranger had done something to Takada that had destroyed their relationship, but Takada had to ask if he was the man Ryuk had mentioned before, like she hadn’t ever met him in person. This brought up the question of how she was already so infatuated with him._

_Well, this all getting pretty strange? thought Light, tilting his head as he evaluated the situation. Their connection seems to be through Ryuk, whoever he might be? Well, either that or this whole paradoxical nightmare is a result of me having a brain bleed from earlier._

_Light was then momentarily distracted from his mild panicking as a black cat curled up next to him; he then noticed it had a bandage around its right leg. Was it the same cat that stole his lunch four weeks ago? As Light continued to ponder this, Takada and the stranger had resumed their conversation._

_“Alright, you want to make-up,” replied Takada, with a dazed smile. “What are you going to do for me?”_

_“Well, for starters, I am going to inform you of the police that are currently watching you,” replied the stranger, casually as Takada began to panic. “But they suspect Mikami; not you.”_

_“How does that help?” said Takada, as she paced back and forth; her face was still stoic, even though her movement were panicked. “If Mikami gets caught, they are certainly going to suspicious of how my relationship with Mikami started at about the same time that Kira started his judgments.”_

_“Remember that I have the same power. We can manipulate events to play out a certain way,” informed the stranger with a sadistic cat-like grin; which was quite an accomplishment considering from what Light could see the man didn’t even have a face. “Firstly, Mikami is going to let you take the notebook. You are then going to hide it and then turn him in; saying that Mikami only recently confessed to you about killing criminals, but he didn’t specify how. Prior to being arrested he is then going to commit suicide and in a note he will collaborate with your story. This will all be possible, since he’ll want you to continue Kira’s judgments unhindered when he’s caught.”_

_“But why should Mikami be concern about getting caught?” asked Takada, curious. She still stood proud and confident, even though she was scared; this ability of hers actually made Light suspicious of her cowering during the bus-jacking. “He has already been working on framing the person you need to obtain immortality. This would have the added bonus of deflecting suspicion away from him.”_

_Light was wondering if the bus-jacking was an attempt to frame him or Yuri. Did the stranger need a virgin sacrifice? ‘Cause while Light may have been a virgin then, he certainly wasn’t one now; this thought made him really want to take a shower. Still, there were probably a lot of virgins out there to choose from, so why would Mikami think framing either him or Yuri would stop this other person from completing his own agenda?_

_Suddenly, the black cat swatted Light across the top of his hand; drawing blood. He had gotten so caught up in his own thoughts that he had missed a small chunk of what the stranger was saying._

_“-then he’ll realize that he threw out several of the book’s pages in the garbage?”_

_“But he’s always burns the old pages when he’s done with them,” argued Takada._

_“Human error is in a possibility for anyone,” replied the stranger, smugly._

_“But that means that there are officers that are now capable of seeing Ryuk,” countered Takada, a taunting lilt entering her tone. Meanwhile, Light was briefly taken aback by the notion that this Ryuk person was selectively invisible._

_“Remember that we both possess a shinigami with an apple addiction,” replied the stranger. “So as long as you feed that addiction you can get him to do some minor tasks if they don’t interfere with his entertainment.”_

_“This isn’t right,” muttered Takada, as she sat down on one of the dining room chairs._

_Takada looked as though she was experiencing a moment of clarity; seeming to realizing how immoral this was. To the public Kira was supposed to be justice, but so far he had only displayed attitudes that denote selfishness and spite. As the saying goes, ‘Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. But the stranger wasn’t done with his sweet talking, yet._

_“I hear that Mikami refuses to help you with achieving your goals,” said the stranger, as he gently embraced Takada; this was done so as to hide smirk from her line of sight. He knew humans were rotten to the core and that they would always give into their darker desires; ambition, lust, greed, etc. “Well, I’ve already written Nishiyama’s name down; cause of death, hit by transport. You’ll then have what you want,” as he whispered this, he knew he had won her over. “And in a few weeks’ time we can continue our work as Kira. We‘re only doing what is right; what is necessary. I have gone as far as to sacrifice my very soul in order to create a better world.”_

_Light suddenly felt a series of emotions that weren’t his, but somehow felt familiar. There was determination, pride, sadness… guilt. Light then heard a voice in his head say, ‘I have come too far to stop now. I’ve killed hundreds of thousands of people to better this rotten world. I am now doing what I can to maintain my place as a God; entering into a contract with the demon, Asmodeus, and then bathing in the blood of my mother. I became an incubus just from this conversation, so don’t you dare regret me. Or else the entire plan ends in Mikami having his heart stop, which will ruin everything’. For a moment, Light could sense that they were experiencing genuine regret. But that regret was quickly followed by conviction before divulging into utter madness. This influx of emotions caused his nose to start bleeding and a headache to begin forming._

_“Only you and I are capable of creating this new world,” said Takada, her voice breathless as the Stranger’s mouth moved along her skin. “And we’re going to do it together.”_

_The man didn’t reply. Instead he worked on pushing Takada’s dressing gown so that it slipped down and pooled on the floor as he placed gentle kisses along neck. His hands were caressing the lower part of her exposed back while Takada’s hand reached down and began stroking his -_

_So as not to be a pervert, Light turns away immediately and tries to tune out the sounds they are making. But that didn’t help since Light could feel himself experience the same sensation as the stranger. His headache was also beginning to worsen as more thoughts that weren’t his own assaulted his mind._

_The cat scratched Light again. The pain had helped in grounding him, but he could feel that he was losing himself again. Light didn’t know what was happening and it was scaring him. The cat had then jumped on his legs and that was Light when noticed the differing sensations present; the scratches and the weight of the cat felt like they were echoing from elsewhere while the table leg he was leaning against seemed to gradually become less substantial._

_Wait, this is a dream, so all I have to do is wake up, thought Light. Maybe I should pinch myself._

_Before Light could do anything the physic trauma had gotten so bad that all he could do was curl up in pain. His thoughts seemed to be trying to mix with the Stranger’s own, but they were acting like oil and water; well, actually a more apt description might be that they mixed like Hydrogen and Chlorine._

_“Oh, Light, your nose is bleeding,” said Takada, concerned. To Light the voice sounded muffled and so far away. The Stranger also said something, but it was too quiet for Light to hear over the pounding in his ears._

_“Wake up, wake up, wake up,” muttered Light, breathing heavily as he repeatedly pinched himself._

_The cat shook her head in shame. To be honest Light felt embarrassed as he met the cat’s disappointed gaze._

_Then before Light had a chance to comprehend what was happening, his right arm felt as though it was on fire and the world around him faded out._

_End of Light’s Dream_

Light bolted upright. His arm was on fire; he immediately strips off his shirt and stomps it out before throwing it out in the waste basket. 

What the fuck? How did this fire start? thought Light, panicking. Did I knock over a candle or something? 

Breathing heavily, Light takes in his surroundings, but doesn’t see anything that could have caused a fire. He sees that he is still in the same room Watari left him in; he had just managed to move from the bed to the furthest corner of the room. The same cat from the dream is sitting on the floor in front of him.

How did this cat get here? Well, it seems what he went through may have only been a dream, but the cat obviously wasn’t. Light figured that he must have been subconsciously aware of her presence in the room. The cat was staring at him with some fondness. This confused Light as he took the time to look at the cuts the cat had likely inflicted on his arm.

Well, that wasn’t really the worse of his injuries. Light wasn’t really looking forward to facing a mirror; he remembered how last night he had been beaten, partially skinned and had spat out no less than ten teeth. But he was still alive. He was still alive while his mother had died.

My mom is gone and she isn’t coming back. And here I am worried about a little disfigurement, thought Light, as he began entering into hysterics. Why did I survive and she didn’t? I shouldn’t be the one to live.

Light felt like he was being choked and his chest hurt as he cried out; these cries closely resembled those of a wounded animal. He didn’t know what to do anymore; he had been raped, accused of being Kira, and had his mother killed, all within the span of a week. Light just wanted for the universe to be done with him. And even though he no longer wanted to live, he didn’t want to die either; but it was appearing to be the only way out.

Light isn’t sure how long he was curled up on the floor sobbing, but the cat seemed to be worried about him as she began nudging her face against his leg. He was sure he had to have been sobbing for at least an hour; his eyes felt incredibly raw. There was now sunlight breaking through the night sky and it was beginning to seep in through the window. Sunrise in Japan during the month of April usually occurred at about 5:20 am. So it was obviously too late to head back to bed for a bit.

With some effort, Light managed to pick himself off the floor. While heading towards the door, Light spotted a folded piece of paper taped to his shirt sleeve. Unfolding it, it read;

_Light_

_You are welcome to help yourself to the clothes in the dresser. There’s a shower down the hall and to the left if you want to freshen up. Afterwards you are to see L down in room one._

_Watari_

Light laid the note on the top of the dresser before riffling through it; there wasn’t much there that was a part of his usual style, but they’d do. So he just grabbed what he needed; some undergarments, a pair of dark coloured jeans, a black shirt, and a set of yellow socks. He spotted a red pleather jacket and decided to grab that, too; a bit of colour would go nicely with this ensemble. That and he really liked the colour if not the material.

Come to think of it was one of his mom’s favourite colours, as well, though she always preferred the lighter shades.

His eyes began watering again, but Light quickly wiped them with his sleeve. He then headed towards the washroom. Upon entering, Light avoided looking into the mirror; not feeling up to facing his reflection at the moment.

Light quickly stripped out of his bloodied clothes. He couldn’t believe that he had fallen asleep in them; then again, he’s done it before and thought the same thing. 

Jumping in the shower, Light shudders as a rush of cold water hits when he turns it on. He probably should’ve waited for it to heat up, but it didn’t really matter. It helped he feel more awake anyway.

That dream had really shook him. Light was wondering if his subconscious was trying to tell him something. When he thought about it he did have a blank spot in his memory. It was of the day he and Takada broke up; during the dream it was mentioned she acquired the potential murder weapon from an ex-boyfriend. Also the times matched up pretty close. The Kira murders had been estimated to have started four months ago. He broke-up with Takada four months, one week, three days ago. And she was a Kira suspect as well, since she was on the bus and knew Raye Penber’s name; she had actually requested it.

Then again, the day Light can’t clearly remember might be because he had lost his best friend, Shiori Akino, that day. Apparently, there were witness accounts that stated he had only been approximately five to seven feet from her when she died. The memory of that must have been too much and he blocked it out. It wouldn’t be the first time. He was missing five years’ worth of memories after age four; his last memory had been of his uncle forcing his head under the water and -

Light had to exit the shower immediately as his heart began racing and his breathing felt constricted. He spent several minutes trying to get his breathing under control as crouched in the middle of the bathroom floor. It had been years and that memory still managed to cause him panic attacks; still it had been a long time, since that had happened.

The cat had shown up back at his side and began rubbing her face him. She was purring loudly and almost seemed concerned about him. Light let out a small laugh as he realized that his antics were even scaring the damn cat.

Still, the cat’s comforting seemed help. So standing up Light faced the mirror and he gasped in shock. 

There were some injuries, but he had been expecting so much worse. Tilting his head, Light observed that his eyes were red-rimmed and he had a black eye along with a bruised cheekbone, but that was pretty much all. He then opened his mouth and found all his teeth were still intact. So besides the cat scratches and the second degree burns on his left and right arm respectively, he was fine. The most major injury he had was caused this morning and it seemed to be healing rather fast.

Light was now worried about how his miraculous recovery occurred. He knows that he didn’t hallucinate what happened last night. He wonders if he is somehow cursed and was slowly morphing into some horrid creature with limited regenerative abilities like a worm or salamander. He suddenly thought of those stories by Kafka, that would often scare him as a child (and as an adult); he didn’t want to go through the same torture as those characters.

He knew something strange was happening to him, but he didn't really have time to analyze it too thoroughly. He needed to get changed and meet L downstairs, so Light forced himself to stop panicking and to get moving. He bound his burnt arm in bandages before getting changed. He was so out of it, he didn’t even notice the marking around his ankle. 

\---------

The case appeared to be coming to a close and L was just finding it all too convenient. The entire situation rang false to him. He also still lacked a physical murder weapon; all he had was a witness, a confession and a vague explanation of how the murders were committed, that didn’t explain much of anything.

Forty-five minutes ago, Takada had come to the police with information that Teru Mikami was Kira. Her statement was;

_‘I watched him plan the murder of the Yagami family. This was a deliberate target on the chief of police. But due to certain persons not being present at the time, it had not gone right and resulted in only Sachiko and one of the intruders dying. He uses a shinigami to commit the murders by using the names of the victims. After realizing this, I went to my mother to discuss what he told me and she insisted I go to the police, and so I came here.’_

Misora could confirm the timeline of her story, so the task force had followed her tip. Mogi and Misora had entered Mikami’s home six and half minutes ago to find that Mikami had committed suicide, via seppuku. He had left behind a note confessing to his crimes. Mogi had snapped several pictures on his phone and sent them to the task force. L read the note, which stated;

_I was Kira. I can no longer live with the weight of that on my conscience. I knew the game was up when Takada threatened that she was going to the police with that information. I thought she was on my side, but I was wrong. I can’t in good conscience kill her, but I know she’ll turn me in. I also know as a prosecutor I won’t last long in jail. If the state or the inmates didn’t kill me first than I know my shinigami will. I choose to die on my own terms. Therefore my final judgment will be my own._

_Teru Mikami_

L had ordered for the note to be analyzed to make sure it was Mikami’s hand-writing. To L’s own eyes it looked legit, but with the confession coming from a man that had died wasn’t ideal. He couldn’t exactly question the suspect about the extenuating circumstances surrounding his suicide. Nor could he understand why Mikami had killed several FBI agents, since he wasn’t even a suspect until the Raye Penber incident.

The other problem was that L still didn’t know how Kira killed; if someone else was to ever gain that ability or currently had it, he’d be back to square one on trying to catch the culprit. Unless he accounted for the possibility that another Kira caused the first one’s death. Then that prime suspect would still be Light. If Takada’s testimony was legit then the teen would have a viable motive; even if, according to Light’s birth certificate, that Sachiko wasn’t his mother.

Regardless, it’d all be a matter of time before that he’d knew for certain if the case was truly closed. L was planning on taking on a second case while remaining in Japan for a while longer. There was still just so much about Kira that was still unknown and that just didn’t settle well with L at all. 

The sound of knocking got L’s attention as well as the rest of the task force, except Matsuda, who was passed out on the couch. Still it was only Ide and Aizawa that were still at their centre of operations (that were awake, anyways). Light was standing just outside of the room’s threshold.

“Sorry for the intrusion, but Watari told me to meet with you down here,” said Light, before strutting into the room; he was immediately followed by a black cat. He looked a lot better than last night, but his voice would still occasionally crack as he talked. 

L reached for Light’s phone and wallet; he had previously searched them. There was a spark of irritation in Light’s eyes as he recognized his belongings. L smirked at him before tossing him both his phone and wallet.

“You left them on the counter,” explained L, as his eyes bore into Light’s. 

Light knew he knew. But L no longer believed Light was Kira; or at least, he wasn’t Kira three and a half months ago. The text he had sent to the then active Kira site, seemed too out of place. If Light was Kira, he wouldn’t be sending a text to himself to kill a specific man. It was also unlikely Light did this deliberately to throw off suspicion. L was under no delusion that Light was a prideful creature and wouldn’t want to be seen as anything less than perfect. So he certainly wouldn’t want something, like being a Kira supporter, tarnishing his reputation.

“Did you sleep well?” asked L, deciding not to say anything about his online activity or what was on his birth certificate.

“Somewhat,” replied Light, avoiding eye-contact. L watched as his eyes settled on the screen behind him; his expression unreadable. L didn’t like that.

“Is there something wrong, Light-kun?”

“No,” reassured Light, numbly. “You found Kira?” 

“Possibly,” answered L. “We have both a confession and a witness.”

“Oh,” mouthed Light, numbly. His mind seemed to be elsewhere.

L didn’t know what make of Light’s reactions. He presumed it was safe to assume it had to do with Kira murdering his mother. Before L could say anything further Light’s phone rang. As Light answered, L watched as the colour drained from the teenager’s face. It was about half minute later when Light hangs up. 

“It was the hospital,” explained Light, his voice trembling. “Dad... he had a heart attack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is wondering, furigana is a Japanese reading aid printed next to a kanji to indicate its pronunciation. The shinigami eyes apparently don't come with reading aids, since in both the Musical and the Anime Misa initially refers to Light as Tsuki.
> 
> Also now I have a reference to the Netflix adaptation; in the movie Watari sings 'Optimistic Voices' to L. Netflix's Death Note may not have been a good movie, but it was worth a good laugh (cringy as it may be).
> 
> When hydrogen and chlorine is mixed it forms hydrogen chloride gas. Upon contact with atmospheric water vapor it forms into hydrochloric acid.
> 
> Shiori Akino is a character from the 1st Death Note movie.
> 
> Franz Kafka is an author. The story alluded to in this chapter is 'The Metamorphosis', where the main character turns into an insect-like creature.


End file.
